DAMIEN RILEY | World Music | HQ Blog

Ever since I was a wee lad, I had a soft spot in my heart for homeless people. I’ve seen people provide charity for them of many kids like publishing their music as in “Playing for Change” and taking photos of them to auction off for their worthy cause. I guess I feel so much for them because they look so dirty and unhealthy. All people should have a reasonable chance at a healthy life and I’d definitely use more of my resources for them if my blog ever made more money. My class is performing a song from India called “Chanda Mama” at our annual International Week festivities at my school. The kids love the song. It was recorded by homeless people all over the world and is chiefly sung by Indian homeless people.

Going to soup kitchens and feeding the homeless is another thing I’d like to do. I have done it before and it is extremely eye-opening and gratifying. The homeless I’ve encountered are so jovial, so willing to talk. We may be worries about a cavity and won’t leave the house because of it while they have no teeth at all and are out on the street dancing, playing instruments, and yes, begging. I really do have a heart for the homeless. Here is the video to the song my class is doing. I’m not sure all the players are homeless, you’ll have to refer to “Playing for Change” if you’re curious. This is such a great song!

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Blogger With a Cause.”

This post appeared first on Riley Central.
I’m jealous of you man in the sun of Mexico. You dance with your wife and family and toil in the fields all day. You enjoy the fruits and vegetables of your land and are content with a small 3 cylinder Geo Metro that gets you around the fields and to the feed market. You make tacos in the field for your wife and fellow workers and you are tired at night, and you sleep well. You have no trappings of wealth and your idea of pornography is watching your wife at the well fetching water. She takes a sip while holding her hair back over her neck. Internet is beer with friends as lighted lanterns spotlight laughter at a fiesta. There is no talk of a border or politics because you have learned to be content as you are. You nake 8-10 thousand dollars a year and your children are all healthy, as are you.

When outlandish brothers talk of a better life in America, you find their talk foreign, as foregin as French. You listen to all things and are not hurried about meeting your next deadline or even running to Starbucks. There isn’t one near you. You pour the hottest peppers on salsa on your tacos as you survey the scene of your farm before you. You are proud of the latest harvest. There is a lull in every action as you contemplate the beginning routine of your next enterprise, but you don’t know what enterprise means. You house 2 generations of family above you and one below. Your house is humble but at the end of the day, everyone has learned one day more about love and family and no one is anxious. For these things, and for your dance in silence, I am jealous of you.

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Green-Eyed Monster.”

This post appeared first on Riley Central.
I’m jealous of you man in the sun of Mexico. You dance with your wife and family and toil in the fields all day. You enjoy the fruits and vegetables of your land and are content with a small 3 cylinder Geo Metro that gets you around the fields and to the feed market. You make tacos in the field for your wife and fellow workers and you are tired at night, and you sleep well. You have no trappings of wealth and your idea of pornography is watching your wife at the well fetching water. She takes a sip while holding her hair back over her neck. Internet is beer with friends as lighted lanterns spotlight laughter at a fiesta. There is no talk of a border or politics because you have learned to be content as you are. You nake 8-10 thousand dollars a year and your children are all healthy, as are you.

When outlandish brothers talk of a better life in America, you find their talk foreign, as foregin as French. You listen to all things and are not hurried about meeting your next deadline or even running to Starbucks. There isn’t one near you. You pour the hottest peppers on salsa on your tacos as you survey the scene of your farm before you. You are proud of the latest harvest. There is a lull in every action as you contemplate the beginning routine of your next enterprise, but you don’t know what enterprise means. You house 2 generations of family above you and one below. Your house is humble but at the end of the day, everyone has learned one day more about love and family and no one is anxious. For these things, and for your dance in silence, I am jealous of you.

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Green-Eyed Monster.”

If some people dress business formal, others must must dress pleasure informal, that would be my category. I’m lucky to be a teacher because we can be as formal as we want or more on the relaxed side in a given week. I teach 10 year olds so sometimes I get down and roll in the mud so-to-speak on the playground, during PE, and other daily routine events that can get dirty. For that reason, I usually dress fairly casual at work. I don’t have too many preferences but I have learned cotton fits me best. A 50/50 knit shirt is itchy so I will usually buy the 100% cotton. When I do shop, which isn’t often and usually every Summer, I like Old Navy, Kohl’s, Marshall’s, Ross, and those stores that have good bargains made of cotton in a quality way. I like Dockers and Levis or other brands similar to those. I’m not huge on name-brands per se but I have found in my 45 years that cheaper doesn’t mean better. I’ve had the cheap stuff fall apart on me after less than a year. In the Winter months, I’ve come to enjoy a good cotton v-neck sweater with a white T underneath. That’s probably my favorite Winter outfit. I wear Skechers or Doc Martens as m shoes and occasionally I’ll wear my running shoes to work or out for a casual date etc. My wife buys most all my clothes these days and I like that. I’m somewhat colorblind so I appreciate her healthy globes :)

I think my clothing says a lot about me. I make a fashion statement by just being casual and teaching. I am passionate about my job and the clothes are just the accessory to that. I think when you are into what you do, clothes are an afterthought. I doubt people will remember what I wore when I taught or blogged or played guitar because I am just being passionate about something. It reminds me of that scene in Forrest Gump when he is running and all the hip magazines are out there doing stories on his shoes and his running clothes. He’s just RUNNING. People may even start to mimic him because he doesn’t care about his clothes. I hate people who are self-conscious. I shaved my head around age 30 to dispense with the trepidation of losing my hair. I’ve shaved it now for over 15 years, I think it looks nice, and it frees me up to teach and follow my passions. No matter the clothes, people flock to passion like moths to a lightbulb. Relaxation is also important to me. I say if clothes make you stressed, they’re not for you.

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “The Clothes (May) Make the (Wo)man.”

If some people dress business formal, others must must dress pleasure informal, that would be my category. I’m lucky to be a teacher because we can be as formal as we want or more on the relaxed side in a given week. I teach 10 year olds so sometimes I get down and roll in the mud so-to-speak on the playground, during PE, and other daily routine events that can get dirty. For that reason, I usually dress fairly casual at work. I don’t have too many preferences but I have learned cotton fits me best. A 50/50 knit shirt is itchy so I will usually buy the 100% cotton. When I do shop, which isn’t often and usually every Summer, I like Old Navy, Kohl’s, Marshall’s, Ross, and those stores that have good bargains made of cotton in a quality way. I like Dockers and Levis or other brands similar to those. I’m not huge on name-brands per se but I have found in my 45 years that cheaper doesn’t mean better. I’ve had the cheap stuff fall apart on me after less than a year. In the Winter months, I’ve come to enjoy a good cotton v-neck sweater with a white T underneath. That’s probably my favorite Winter outfit. I wear Skechers or Doc Martens as m shoes and occasionally I’ll wear my running shoes to work or out for a casual date etc. My wife buys most all my clothes these days and I like that. I’m somewhat colorblind so I appreciate her healthy globes 🙂

I think my clothing says a lot about me. I make a fashion statement by just being casual and teaching. I am passionate about my job and the clothes are just the accessory to that. I think when you are into what you do, clothes are an afterthought. I doubt people will remember what I wore when I taught or blogged or played guitar because I am just being passionate about something. It reminds me of that scene in Forrest Gump when he is running and all the hip magazines are out there doing stories on his shoes and his running clothes. He’s just RUNNING. People may even start to mimic him because he doesn’t care about his clothes. I hate people who are self-conscious. I shaved my head around age 30 to dispense with the trepidation of losing my hair. I’ve shaved it now for over 15 years, I think it looks nice, and it frees me up to teach and follow my passions. No matter the clothes, people flock to passion like moths to a lightbulb. Relaxation is also important to me. I say if clothes make you stressed, they’re not for you.

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “The Clothes (May) Make the (Wo)man.”

I took a couple years off college after high school and lived to regret it. One thing that was really tough was going back to College Algebra and all her pre-requisites. I was 21 and while that sounds young to me now, I felt way too old to be in the same classes as the freshmen I knew in high school. Humble pie set in. I was told in the guidance office I could have taken care of it in high school and boy I wish I had. In my early 20’s as a musician and aspiring songwriter, I was working 2 jobs and didn’t want to be in a classroom learning math, of all things. Nonetheless, that’s where I ended up. I was terrible at it too, nothing came easy. Memorization, neatness, everything required for math was no longer supple in my wild 21 year old mind. That is, until one day when I got some golden advice.

My professor was a hippie “free love and peace” kind of guy. I recall one day he saw me doodling lyrics on my notes. He suggested I make math an art project. See every equation and challenge as a doodle. I started by getting a clipboard and a ton of paper and pencils. I wrapped about 100 sharpened pencils in a rubber band and always came to class ready to make a Picasso. It got me interested in detail and logic. Mr. Sommers also suggested the Theory of Time Spaced Learning to me. This is basically the idea that if you take more breaks, your mind will retain more. I loved that. I’m living proof it works too. Cramming for hours on end really does little. A little bite of work at a time will allow your brain to digest more over the whole session. My grades became A’s and I passed College Algebra in Summer of 1993. I was 23 years old. After that I would become passionate about English, language, writing, and rhetoric and eventually teach. I never had to do algebra like that again but I could never have enjoyed my English life without that one class. Try to transform your talents into the subjects you have difficulty with.

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Land of Confusion.”