Mike Russo passed away. He was a good guy and a talented writer. We worked together on a 72 hour film competition. That is to say, we tried to work together. He had a lot of ideas and we just didn’t jive. Mike had a certain formula for making great 72 hour films, but I wanted to be different. The film we ended up making was great, we won 5th place, but it was a really gruelling process. Mike and I had a conversation after it was all done and I admitted that I should have listened to him. We both laughed about it.
Mike Russo was one of the driving forces in the early days of the Rochester Movie Makers, now the Rochester Association for Film Arts and Sciences. His scripts ended up being the first project for many a local and aspiring filmmaker.
In the summer of 2016, I had Mike on the radio to talk about his need for a kidney. Mike had to call in because he was not well enough to make the trip downtown.
Here is the interview:
I briefly contemplated getting tested to see if I was a match. But, in the end I didn’t do it. I had my reasons and I wonder if they were the right reasons. I am still here and Mike is gone. I got busy – I was always busy.
There are others who knew him better. There are others who can recall many memories with Mike. Most of our correspondence was via Facebook messenger – and I regret that. I should do a better job connecting with people on a personal and more meaningful level. You just never know what can happen. RIP Mike, I wish I knew you better.
In just about every sport I’ve ever tried, one of the keys to being effective in said sport was having good follow through. In golf, baseball, soccer, track and field and other sports I am in no way qualified to coach, they all required good follow through.
Recently, I was at a networking event and a bunch of aspiring folks got together to chat about doing voice overs. It’s a great new group here in town and the people who showed up obviously want to work in that field. There were two speakers who are very successful in the biz and shared much wisdom with the audience. I had to leave a bit early because I get up at stupid o’clock and whatnot, so I didn’t catch the very end of their presentations. It seems that they were about to wrap things up as I left, so hopefully I didn’t miss much.
One thing I did miss – or I didn’t hear them talk about was follow through. They talked about microphones, acoustics, websites, SEO and all kinds of other stuff. But they seemed to miss one key factor: follow through. You need the perseverance to ‘sally forth’ when things look bleak, because they will! Starting out as a voice actor later in life (as most of the attendees were) means you most likely have a job, kids, bills, responsibilities…you know, excuses. You can easily get side-tracked, you can easily be dismayed by the outlay of money you will need to start your new side hustle.
The key thing to remember AFTER you’ve set up your booth, microphone, etc. is STAYING POWER! Yeah, not giving up when you have gone 6 months with no gigs. Not using your mic stand as a laundry rack. Not following through with getting that website updated or demo produced.
I won’t drone on and on with examples of what you should or should not do – except to say that you have to stick with it with a laser focus. Don’t be deterred, don’t lose sight of the prize.
Tuesday was a crazy day. I had to shoot video, record voice overs, record a radio show, make dinner and then get over to Geva Theatre and see Thurgood. One of my favorite perks of this radio job is that I get to see all the shows. I brought my 15 year old son, Shaun. I figured he should see a play about Thurgood Marshall, the first African American to sit on the Supreme Court. I’m a bit of a history buff and casual wonk, so I was interested as well. I knew that name, Thurgood. I thought I knew why I knew that name, but I really didn’t know anything.
Lester Purry delivers a captivating performance as Thurgood Marshall. I went into this play not knowing anything about it. I didn’t know it was a cast of one. i didn’t know it would be a guy on stage talking to the audience the entire time. Well, it really was a whole lot more than that.
First of all, we get serious insight into Thurgood Marshall, the man. By the end of the first act, you feel like he’s a kindly old man you met on the train who had amazing stories of his life to share. I think we’ve all been in that situation, where a person keeps yapping and yapping about this or that and we couldn’t care less. This was NOT one of those times. Learning about the 14th amendment to the Constitution was something I had not intended. Plessy v Ferguson and Brown v Board of Education both ring a bell from my school days, but I had forgotten why.
It is important to remember these legal precedents. It’s just as relevant today as it was back then. I would argue it is even more relevant today, because we’ve come a long way as a society, but not far enough.
Thurgood Marshall was a smart and fair man who brought a new perspective and set of experiences to the Supreme Court and he was there at the right time. I only wish he was still there.
My son and I were mesmerized the entire time. I made the perfect dad joke after the curtain call. “Thurgood was ThurGreat!” Yes, he gave me the 15 year old eye roll too…
I am trying to get back on my correct path. Which path are you referring to, Fitz? Well, whichever path is the correct one for you. That path will be easy – effortless. You won’t have worries on that path. Your correct path won’t even seem like a path that you follow, rather it will seem to be correcting itself as you go forward – as though it was always going that way. You won’t necessarily be able to see where the path leads, but every time you make a turn, you’re still on the path.
I am not saying that it is impossible to stray from the path – it most certainly is possible. But, deep down you will know – through some form of instinct, that your decision will lead you off the path. You may choose to ignore those inner warning, but I hope you don’t. I have chosen to ignore my inner most warning signs.
What happened? I veered off the path. I KNEW I had veered off the path and it has always been in my power to hop back on – but I didn’t. Why? I cannot pretend to know the answer except to say, perhaps, I was too scared. I had been on the wrong path for so long that I think I was confused as to where my path really was. I forgot that my path was effortless and joyful, not riddled with doubt and fear. I forgot these things and I decided to remember them. Honest writing shows me the path and once again it is up to me to allow the path to lead me out of the muck and the mire. My path leads through groups of amazing people who are strong and positive and caring. Where does your path take you?
I have to be honest with you – I’ve been off for a while – probably a month. I can trace it back to a certain event that happened and it has made my life more of a challenge. If you’re reading this and we’ve worked together, you might have noticed something odd in my behavior. You might not have noticed it though, because I am pretty good at hiding it. I’ve been to therapy and I thought I was getting better, but it has gotten worse. Add to that, there are people in my life who claim to like and respect me, yet time and time again I am simply an afterthought in their lives. I mean, that’s fine – I can be an afterthought, just don’t pretend I am more important to you than I really am. Often times it is because I have something they want – usually one of my skills. I am always happy to help people, I just need there to be a bit of gratitude.
So, I am not depressed. I’ve been depressed before and I know this is not as dark as that was. When I was depressed, I could not get anything done…taking a shower or making a sandwich was a real trial…let alone taking care of other humans. No, I am not there – I am actually doing rather well. My business is growing at a nice pace. It’s probably more consistent than growing, but the growth potential is there and we are tapping into it. No, but there is an inner sadness that I am trying to find so I can stamp it out. I wear my heart on my sleeve – so I’m not great at hiding that sadness. However, I really think this sadness comes from without rather than within – if I think about it. Confused? yeah, me too.
I take a daily med for depression or anxiety or something. It’s the lowest dose possible and sometimes I wonder what would happen if I just stopped taking it. I don’t know and I kind of don’t want to. It is a variable I should not explore.
For one reason or another, I had a Medium in the studio last week and I mentioned what happened to her. She got messages from the deceased, who expressed his regrets. That he didn’t think it through and it was a spur of the moment action. When she was in the booth, the lights went out, but only the lights. The power itself remained on. Then, the lights came back and my computer monitors flashed. I got the chills.
I don’t know what I am doing and yet I do. Maybe it’s because my life is governed by a flimsy schedule based on audio that comes in from clients with quick turnarounds. Maybe. Maybe because we’ve not had one podcast customer yet I’ve done a lot of podcasts and I am stressed. Maybe it is the business debt that, if I received all of my accounts receivable today, I could pay off. But the money trickles in.
Today was a true Blatheri ng, but at least now I know that I have some issues I need to address.
Have you ever felt this way? Sometimes it feels like you’re really trying to make it to the weekend – only the weekends are packed with things you don’t really want to do or didn’t have time to do. Do you remember back when you used to read for hours and hours? I do – and I know why I am struggling lately. This struggle is over a myriad feelings and issues that I have in my head and in my view each and every day. Messy things, unfinished business, poor sleep, lack of motivation for the mundane duties of life. In my attempts to build a positive world around me, I have started to feel like I am slave to that goal. It’s silly, actually. I’m creating my own world and then I get all stressed out about it like I can’t control it!
Gotta Do What I’ve Gotta Do
Sadly, things will improve when the kids go back to school. As much as I love them, they kind of make a mess of everything. We’re going camping this weekend so it will be a nice end to the summer. Then, we will spend the Labor Day holiday getting things squared away – so we can get back to a routine that is more structured.
So – that being said, I am not going to force myself to blather each day or podcast either. When I have guests scheduled, I will post that episode and if something really inspires me to blather on the mic, I’ll do it…but I no longer feel obligated. I kind of unofficially stated that my blog and podcast was a daily thing. I’ll make it based on inspiration and not on any requirements. I view this as all in the process of getting to where I want to be. I want to get to where being positive is not a struggle. I have some very good days and I know that my overall outlook has improved. Last week’s trauma was a lot to handle and I am dealing with it.
This blathering helped. I needed to get that out. If you read to the end, I think you’re a very special person.
I posted a status on Facebook last night while I was waiting for my son to finished golf camp. The post was about how I am grateful for the people who blew me off and couldn’t be bothered to respond to my correspondence. This post caused some folks to reach out to me thinking something was wrong. It might have been how I worded it – but I was really surprised and appreciative of the response. I went back and edited it so that it seemed less dire! But I really felt the need to express my gratitude for the idea of unanswered prayers. There is a Garth Brooks song about it and it is pretty spot on.
The concept is that what you THINK you want really bad at the time might not be right for you in the long run, so if it doesn’t happen, it is upsetting at first but when it all plays out, you’ll look back and say “ha, thank God THAT didn’t happen!” Even recently, there are people in my network who have ghosted me or never bother to respond to messages. It used to piss me off, frankly. But now I understand why it is happening. Right now it is not meant for me to work with this person. One day, perhaps that person will decide to reach out. Maybe he or she will apologize for those actions. Maybe not.
I have learned that what I thought I wanted all those times – those jobs applied to, those people I reached out to – didn’t happen because I was not supposed to go that way – that was not my path.
So I am thankful for the unanswered prayers. I would not have ROC Vox – I would not have a lot of the things I really enjoy now. There is a peace of mind that comes with this realization and I hop you can find it. When something doesn’t work out for you, try and think about the road it would have lead you down and understand that there is a different road you are supposed to be on.
I’m a small business owner and I also have a full-time radio job. I am fortunate that my radio gig is a morning show and so I am out early enough to still have a good chunk of the day to kick things into gear. BUT….the most productive hours are the morning hours – AND I AM AT WORK AND NOT IN MY OWN STUDIO!!!! Then I get to the studio (my second job) after I have lunch with my kids (who are due back at school in just a few weeks – but who is counting?) Now I have to catch up on doing VO’s, editing, Podcasts, general biz admin and…oh yeah…marketing, following up sales leads, answering emails and much much more. Sometimes, my workload actually takes up all of that time and the next thing I know I am rushing home to make dinner and perform my Dadministrative duties – then it is time for bed so I can be up early for the show. All by myself. But darnnit, I am not an island.
An island is all by itself, with only the resources it has or whatever washes up on shore. That won’t work forever if you want to grow. There is only so much room and whatnot! I looked into all of the below possibilities”
Find someone to help! A part time employee who works maybe 10-20 hours per week at minimum wage could be a huge help to get the busy work done. Retirees and students are perfect candidates. Yes, it is not ideal and there are risks. Plus, you have to jump into the “employee” realm! If you are a sole proprietorship, that may be tough…and I get that.
Invest in some kind of CRM software to help with the data being thrown at you all day. After the learning curve, it is like having an employee there that never sleeps.
If sales or marketing is lacking – try for an intern or a commission only contractor who can work remotely and do thy bidding for a piece of the action. I am exploring this option currently and I am seeing a positive trend just in my time management. Again, you have to vet this person because you are giving them some power representing you and your company. Starting with friends and family is a good idea, just have an agreement in writing.
Virtual Assistant – I have zero experience with this option. I know VA’s are not cheap, but I also know that when you find the right one for you, he or she will be a game-changer. I have heard from friends and colleagues who swear by their Virtual Assistant. They can cover so much for you and free you up for the important work.
None of these are an easy fix and require an investment of time and money, but the ROI’s are pretty positive.
The important takeaway from this Blathering, is that you need help. Figure out which kind of helper will make a difference and do it. If you need to take a loan or sell a kidney, maybe you should – it will pay off in the end. (I do not endorse the sale of any human organs, the above comment was used to illustrate a point)
If I were to name this new phase I am venturing into, I would not name it Fitz 2.0. Why? Because Fitz 2.0 happened in 2012 or something. Then came Fitz 3.0 in 2013 and there was one in ’15 and in ’16. I had a short-lived reboot in 2017 but that wasted away in Margaritaville. So, I will not name this reinvention because it would probably be Fitz 7.876 or something mathematically confusing. Check out my old BLOG which chronicled my fitness ADD. For a while, I was really doing well…but I let it fail because I was unable to control my brain. I am not doing a crash diet or a starving plan.
What I Plan on Doing
I am going to eat mostly clean. I am going to make my meals on Sundays and Wednesdays (which may change depending on how this works). I am going to follow a 40/40/20 macronutrient ratio and try to hit 2200 calories per day. I will do a 24 hour fast once to twice per week and I will have one cheat meal per week, which will be my family’s typical “pizza and wings” Friday night. I will only consume water, tea and coffee, fat free milk and mineral water. I will not drink Diet Sodas or any N.A. Beer. (I quit drinking real alcohol). If I have a sweet tooth, it will be a nice healthy snack. *(See pudding recipe below)
I am going to lift 3 times per week and run for 30 minutes after I lift. Each session will be journaled and posted for everyone to follow. if I miss, I will not lie about it – and I hope I will be held accountable. I am prepared for the possibility that nobody will care enough and that it totally fine. In years past, that would affect me. Now, I do this for me and not for recognition.
I will track it all with CronoMeter:
Today’s Snack Recipe: Fitz’s Muscle ‘Pudding’
You can use a vanilla or flavored yogurt if you want, but I try to avoid that added sugar. This is not a new invention, but I like it. You can also add quick oats or muesli to up the carbs if you want.
Plain Greek Yogurt (1C)
Chocolate Whey (1 scoop)
Frozen (or Fresh) blueberries (1C)
fresh cinnamon to taste
.5 oz chopped raw almonds
465 calories – 51.1g Protein – 47.1g Carbs – 9.6g Fat Macro Ratio (45/38/18)
Want to do it With Me?
I invite YOU to restart yourself and we can make it public! WHAAAA? Yes, I mean public. As in – post it all (more than usual) for the world to see. What you’re eating, how much you’re exercising, etc. No secrets! (Well, you can keep the real personal stuff secret…there Tiger!)
Hey, I am not a professional trainer or nutrition specialist – but I know what works for me and I’d love some partners! Let me know if you want to try it with me.
If you’ve read a few of my Blatherings, you know that my life revolves around movie quotes. The one above makes my point succinctly. Plus – Burt Young and Keith Gordon – two fantastically under celebrated actors.
I’ve learned that you really need to CYA at all times regardless of how well you “think” you know who you are dealing with. This holds true for business and personal encounters. I might be slightly naive to believe in my heart that most people want to do the right thing. I think it breaks down when it comes to the part where they must take action, and if it is at all an inconvenience.
If you’ve ever had to barter services for mutual benefit, you know how easy it is for one or even both parties in the transaction to devalue the services being bartered – especially when any out of pocket expenses are involved.
Let’s say you have a service that a friend of yours needs. That friend has the ability to really get your services out to his or her network. Do those values match? You really need to figure that out, otherwise you might be on the losing end of the bargain. If you would normally charge $2,000.00 for your service, you had better be sure that your pal gives you equal or greater value. Sure, if your service is no out of pocket and you want to do your ‘bro’ a favor, that’s totally cool and totally your call – “The Dude Abides”.
If you enter into any kind of barter arrangement – WRITE IT UP! Make sure both parties have the deal in writing. It is all too easy for someone to say they misunderstood and not deliver the quid pro quo. I have had this happen to me and it is really unfortunate – especially if you like the person who suddenly ghosts you when you’re looking for your part of the barter.
I’m a forgiving and understanding person, so I get it. Sometimes you can be excited about a barter situation because it will really benefit you and you’re not entirely worried about the end game when you have to pony up your end of the deal. Protip: don’t promise something you cannot deliver – and get it in writing. I’ve moved on from my disappointments so I’m good with it all, but I won’t make that mistake again!
Mike Russo passed away. He was a good guy and a talented writer. We worked together on a 72 hour film competition. That is to say, we tried to work together. He had a lot of ideas and we just didn’t jive. Mike had a certain formula for making great 72 hour films, but I wanted to be different. The film we ended up making was great, we won 5th place, but it was a really gruelling process. Mike and I had a conversation after it was all done and I admitted that I should have listened to him. We both laughed about it.
The key thing to remember AFTER you’ve set up your booth, microphone, etc. is STAYING POWER! Yeah, not giving up when you have gone 6 months with no gigs. Not using your mic stand as a laundry rack. Not following through with getting that website updated or demo produced.
What happened? I veered off the path. I KNEW I had veered off the path and it has always been in my power to hop back on – but I didn’t. Why? I cannot pretend to know the answer except to say, perhaps, I was too scared. I had been on the wrong path for so long that I think I was confused as to where my path really was. I forgot that my path was effortless and joyful, not riddled with doubt and fear. I forgot these things and I decided to remember them. Honest writing shows me the path and once again it is up to me to allow the path to lead me out of the muck and the mire. My path leads through groups of amazing people who are strong and positive and caring. Where does your path take you?
So, I am not depressed. I’ve been depressed before and I know this is not as dark as that was. When I was depressed, I could not get anything done…taking a shower or making a sandwich was a real trial…let alone taking care of other humans. No, I am not there – I am actually doing rather well. My business is growing at a nice pace. It’s probably more consistent than growing, but the growth potential is there and we are tapping into it. No, but there is an inner sadness that I am trying to find so I can stamp it out. I wear my heart on my sleeve – so I’m not great at hiding that sadness. However, I really think this sadness comes from without rather than within – if I think about it. Confused? yeah, me too.
