I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year for 2013!!! At least my 2012 ended on a good note!!! Hopefully this year will turn out to be a great one for all of us. My resolution this year is to stop over reacted and stop complaining so much LOL. I don't think it's going to take too long for me to break my resolution. That's because I have three daughters who are off the chain LOL.. Since I got back from Florida these three girls have been acting out, but I guess that's what children do, regardless of their age. I pray that I can hold myself down for at least a couple of weeks LOL. We'll see what happens! Let's talk about my trip to Florida...
Miami Beach
Early Tuesday morning, I was getting ready to go to the airport. I was so excited that I was going to Miami to see my dad, my sister, my cousins, and my close friends. It had been such a long time since I had seen them. I arrived in Miami and took a cab to the beach where my dad and my sister were expecting me. It was a thrill to see them. We talked about the past and we talked about the things that were going on, but we also talked about my illness. My dad is 80 years old and he looks great!!! I hope I can reach 80 looking like that. My sister is 60 years old and she still looks good for her age as well. She's a dedicated worker who works hard at whatever she's doing. She really means a lot to me. She is the sole person my dad depends on in Miami. She takes care of my dad so well, it's incredible!!! We spent some brother and sister time together, food shopping, and catching up.
As for my dad, we talked about my mother and my sister who is his daughter (RIP). My real father was never there for us or involved with our family because he was in the Puerto Rican mafia. My step-dad, who raised me since I was 1 year old, never treated me like a stepchild always treated me like his real son. Unfortunately, he left my mom a couple years later. I got to understand more about my family's past, how my mother escaped from Cuban revolutionary style (which I will write in my book), and how my life is what it is today because of her. He speaks so highly about my mom. I was so happy to see him.
After I saw my dad, I right away went to the beach. All I wanted to do was get a suntan, so at least when I got back to New York City I would have one of the most incredibly beautiful suntans ever. It was about 78'degrees and people were still on the beach. As I walked down the South Beach, I noticed two things: one, there were a lot of guys wearing LeBron James jerseys, and 2, there were a lot of topless girls. OMG! I was kind of nervous about it, but what the hell, that's South Beach for you!
Miami Beach has a lot of history. I remember going back in the 80s. The Beach was just plain and simple. I also remember that they were planning to put a casino to give it an uplift , but the elderly shut it down. The only thing that South Beach had was the fifth street gym, where the famous Muhammad Ali used to train. Someone took a chance and started buying all these hotels and then they started remodeling them into an Art Deco styles. More investors started investing into these properties and they were remodeling all these hotels. People started getting familiar with it, and it became the biggest tourist attraction in the country. The world-famous South Beach. that's the place to be, with all the night clubs, the tourists, the parties and the restaurants. Yes, this is what it's all about in South Beach, Florida!!!
Pastor Frank Diaz, a spiritual moment at Miami beach!!!!!
It was a spiritual day while in Miami. I called up a few old friends of mine. One of them happened to be Pastor Frank Diaz.. Yeah that's right he's a pastor....
Frank, is the founder and the creator of the legendary pop group Expose. He had did wonderful things back in the day, but got caught up in bad thing as well. He shares his past and experience now through the Word of GOD!!! I met with Frank on 15st and Ocean Drive, right in front of the famous scene of Scarface, where he was preaching in front 20 homeless individuals and talking about the Word of God. It was a great experience knowing that he was talking the real deal. I am so proud of him. Through the scriptures and through his words I could feel the Holy Spirit among all of us. Towards the end of his preaching, at least eight of those individuals got up and prayed with Frank to repent their sins. After his little service in the park, we fed all the homeless people. Man, that moment I felt so important...that I was doing something special. We talked a little bit. I got to meet his friends. We prayed and I moved on.
JESSMARK PRODUCTION!!!!
Friday afternoon, after the beach, I was being picked up by my old partner, close friend and brother, Mark Anthony Roofe. We have worked with numerous artist' back in the late 80's. I remember working with music specialist, home of Debbie Deb, freestyle, Pretty Tony and of course my group FAST LANE. I was the first artist in Miami to sing bass rap. My hit Record was called "Young Ladies" in 1984. I was only 19, but the rest of that story will be in my book. You get to read all the good things about what I did for this record company. Mark picked me up and we went to his studio. I got to see his recording studio and of course he tried to convince me to come back to Florida to work with him. He's working with Quincy Jones who is a great man. I am highly honored to know that he knows who I am. Mark is also working with the Jacksons, but he told me he's been with that project since Michael passed. I already told him that Jacksons are discombobulated they don't even know when will that project will be done. He's working with this new artist named Aron Sims, too. Now, that artist has potential!!! He reminds me a lot of R. Kelly when we first met him with the potential he had. It's the same direction Sims is going.
I told Mark that I need time... First, I need to have the surgery, recoup (which will take another eight months), then at least another six months to move. That means I need to take care of everything before I move back to Florida. All my kids don't want to go, so at least I have time to set them up before I move. That's approximately 2 years in the mix for me to decide to move back. Of course, I don't want to stay New York any more, but I need to really consider if this is whats right for me. It was great to see Mark.
My Cousin's
The next day, I went to my cousin Eloy's house. He was my favorite baseball player. Boy, he had this curveball that was unbelievable. Unfortunately, he got hurt, so he couldn't play baseball any more. We talked about his beautiful daughters who are in Honduras and how much he misses them.
The day after that was Christmas Eve. You know where I was, catching some sun until it went down. After that, I got ready to go to a Christmas Eve party. I met with my Colombian family, which is my cousins in law Maria's family. I know them all and they are so cool. There are a lot of them so I don't remember all of their names... that's why I called them “Colombian family” LOL! They had so much food and they even gave me a Christmas gift, which was a surprise. I enjoyed my night..
It was around 10:30 pm which my favorite and lovely cousin Lily pick me up.. It was great to see my cousin after such a long time. We got to her house, which was beautiful, and I got to meet her husband, Lazaro. Her best friend was there, Mirta. We talked and laughed just like old times.
Merry Christmas!!!!
The next day was Christmas. The moment we got up, Lily and I were already playing practical jokes. She was calling “white boy from New York City trying to get some sun”, “red lobster”, “watermelon”, and all types of names. She was just laughing so much! I could see that I made her day. She needed that. She was going through a lot of stress and I was able to help see her through.
Around noon we went to go see her kids David, Lil Lily, Chris and Tatiana, and of course, her grandkids. We took pictures and then took a ride to West Palm Beach to go see my aunt, my mother's sister. She has a little bit of Alzheimer's, but she did remember me which was great. We ate dinner and then drove back to Miami. Of course, my cousin was still trying to make fun of me. She even took a picture of me sleeping in the backseat and posted it on Instagram.. She's the only one that can get away with all that...that's how much I love her. It was getting close to time for me to come back to New York City and I could see in Lily's face how much she was already going to miss me. I knew I was going to miss her, too. Those tears were already coming out of my eyes knowing that I was going to leave her. When the day came and I was about to leave, I couldn't even say goodbye to her. I know we felt the energy together like old times, but I had to go back to New York to be with my kids... I Love You Cuz!!!
New Year's Eve!!!!!
We prepared ourselves to go to New Year's Eve party at my cousin Maritza's house, The Diaz Family!!! In the past four years we been going to her house. We made it like a tradition to go every year. As we arrived, we learned that some of our family members were sick, so unfortunately they couldn't make it, but my cuz Maritza made the best of it! My cousin, Diana, and her daughter were there. My uncle from PR was there, but he wasn't feeling well either. We drank, the New Year came in, then everyone went on their way. I went home, too.
Yes 2013! A new year! I'm going to end it like this until next time. I will talk about my London trip, Philly trip, and I'm on my way to Dominican Republic today. When I get back I will write another blog before I have my surgery. Once again, until next time my friends.
One Love Jesse Jess Diaz DFE!
DAD Birthday Party 6 years ago
St. Clair, Solsky, Jesse, and P.Star
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Friday, December 14, 2012
P.Star Saga: Eight Months of Misery
I know it has been a long time since my last blog post. First, I would like to discuss why I stopped blogging..
Things were going well for a while, but then I started feeling pain in my right leg back in September of 2011. I thought I would be fine if I just took a few painkillers, but that was only a temporary fix. It was just the beginning...
Incapacitated
It was October 15, my birthday. I expected my friend from the West coast to come to NYC. I bought her ticket, but I was kind of sad knowing she didn't show up. I guess it was just not meant to be. That week my pain became extremely painful.... I remember the next day being sick and that night going to Craig Derry's vocal classes when my partner Elis Pacheco, who saw something was wrong with me. Of course, I didn't tell him that something was wrong. I just told him that I was okay. That week, it hit me hard. I was gradually walking slower and then a week later I couldn't walk at all. Depression hit me, knowing that I wasn't able to walk again after all that I have already gone through to get back on my feet. I was afraid to go see a specialist as I knew he would just tell me that I might have to have surgery again. It got me scared! I could see my life crumbling down around me. Feeling hopeless... feeling useless... just feeling alone, knowing that I can do nothing about it.
Eight months I was stuck in the bed just doing nothing. My children were afraid for me. They tried so hard to convince me to get off the bed. I just didn't want to do anything. Even while I was in bed a lot had happened, but I just wanted to isolate myself. I cut off my network. I cut off my phone. But most of all, I cut off my family & friends. I spent Thanksgiving alone, I spend Christmas alone, even though my daughters were here. I was in the room while they were throwing a party outside on the other side of my door. On New Year's Eve of 2011, Priscilla and her boyfriend Darryl spent it here, while Solsky spent it somewhere else. Where was I? I was in my room again: alone.
Happy New Year 2012!!!!
January came by...nothing. February came by...nothing. March is here and it's time to fill out income taxes, but since I'm not filing taxes for myself, I have to do it for Priscilla. I believe that was the only thing I did that was productive over that eight month stretch.
Getting Out
It wasn't till the end of April that Priscilla finally convinced me to take a vacation. I went out of town for couple of days, hoping things would work out for me but I had this gut feeling that something was going down in New York City...and of course I was right. I decided to get an early flight back to NY to check up on things. It was a mission to try to catch a flight on a Saturday! I was on a waiting list to see if I could eventually get on a flight, but thanks to God I was able to catch a flight back home. When I finally arrive, Priscilla and her gang were throwing a party at my house while I was gone. Needless to say, she was surprised to see that I was back so early. I still let her throw the party but the gut feeling that something was really wrong wouldn't subside.
I invited my friend Lisa to come over because we were going to be the only adults at this party, but I still was feeling uncomfortable. My reservations about the night grew as the first guests arrived. I didn't even know who the hell they were, LOL! My nerves were already acting up, but Lisa was trying to make me feel comfortable. She tried as much as she could just to calm me down, but I couldn't.
The house got packed with people. I didn't even know who any of them were. They started dancing, my house started rumbling, people coming in and out, and they were smoking everywhere. The party started getting out of control. Then, it happened!!!! At 3:30 AM, a fight was brewing. I had just taken off my sneakers just to relax for a minute, when my daughter Solsky began banging on my door screaming! I ran out the door to approach the guy who was arguing with another guy. Then, I noticed a couple of the guys putting their hands inside their coat. (I knew they had something inside the coat because I saw two of them begin pulling it out and I was able to convince the men not to.) My first reaction was to try to calm this guy down and take them to the hallway of my building. There was one knucklehead who wanted to shoot I saw it in his eyes. As a defense, I grabbed one of his guys by the neck just for protection like a bulletproof shield. I told him to put the gun away and put it back in his pocket, but he refused to listen to me. I ended up dragging him down the steps until he got in front of the building. That's when I told him that my building had security cameras and in the next two minutes the police were going to show up, so they all decided to get back in the van and leave. That was a close one! Of course my daughter made it seem like nothing was going to happen, but if I wasn't there someone would've gotten shot.
Bad News
In May, I got a phone call that the mother of my children is in jail for attempted murder. Yeah, she had just got her life situated and was staying drug free. Now she faces prison time up to 10 to 15 years. It's sad to say that she's got two young daughters with a messed up father, and these kids will not have their mother around, AGAIN!!!!
Failure to Communicate
June 14th P's birthday: Since that party things weren't working out for us. We had a big misunderstanding, so she moved to New Jersey with my dear friend Karen Fowler, the Vice President Sesame Workshop. Things are going well for her there, I knew she was suffering because of my illness but I just needed for her to be more independent and not worry about me so much.. I was just being selfish. She grew up too fast!
On Father's Day, she came to pick me up to have dinner. We started talking again, I could see it in her eyes she was still hurting because of my situation and me being ill. She was trying to motivate me, trying too give me hope again. I just couldn't...but at least I got out of the house.
Fostering Safety
July 17th, I got a phone call at 5:30 in morning from Solsky and Priscilla's sister. It was kind of strange for her to even call at that time. We hadn't spoken for about a year. I picked up the phone and asked what was wrong. I could hear her tears over something terrible that happened to her while mother was away and her father was staying with her. When she told me what had occurred, my first reaction was to come to the house. She arrived around 8:30 a.m. I just couldn't believe what they did to her. I got ACS and the police involved. Once again I became a foster parent; once again another child changes my life. Soon, she will be officially adopted and her name will be changed to St. Clair Diaz!!!!!
Mexican Stand-off
August 31st, St. Clair's Birthday: I had told the girls that for me just to get my mind clear, I needed to take a vacation. So I decided to leave to go to Mexico September 3rd. I was on my way to the airport when I noticed I had an infection in my right finger. It was bothering me so much, then it started getting swollen. I decided to keep to my plans despite the infection. Then, I caught a panic attack inside the plane when we had to make an emergency landing in Dallas. They rush me to the hospital because I told him that I was a diabetic, and they noticed that the finger was swollen. I stayed in the hospital for three days. Man, I was so upset knowing that I couldn't get to my Mexico! They kept me there just for observation while giving me some antibiotics for the infection in my finger. They wanted to make sure that it had nothing to do with the diabetes. So, I finally left the hospital, got back to the airport, and American Airlines was so nice that they put me on the first class flight to Mexico.
Back In Action
September 10th, Solsky's Birthday: I was still in Mexico, preparing myself all the chaos in NYC!! A couple of days later, I arrived back in New York City. I had to register St. Clair for high school. I was able to put her in one of the best schools in New York City, thank God!!!! I also was able to prepare myself to go see the specialist about my chronic back pain. The moment I got back, I was getting phone calls to start working again and my energy boost is up to 100%. I'm back!!!!!!!!
Oct 15th, my birthday: I threw a dinner party at my house with my kids and their friends. I had begun seeing a specialist and getting therapy for my anxiety attacks. I was happy to know that I was back to normal again.
November 15th, I went see the spine specialist. That's when they dropped a bomb on me: My bones didn't heal right and I have a cracked screw... yeah, that's right, a cracked screw in my back... and it broke... so now I have to go for a second spine surgery! I was afraid of that, but at least I was mentally prepared. The spine specialist laid out the risk factors. He told me that if I don't do this, in six months I will not be able to walk again. If I do get the surgery, I only have a 50/50 chance of healing, meaning that I may walk or may not walk. . I have to leave it up to God. It also a six months recovery, therefore six months stuck in bed. Wow! Not again! At least this time I will have something to do. I'm buying studio equipment so I can make music from home and work on P.Star's album, which she will co-produce with me. I am also working on Jay Wise's Project. We're close to getting a deal as well as setting up a tour overseas. Lastly, I am working with THE NO-NAME GANG, my godson Bugzy's Project. As for my own personal project, I will be finishing my book very soon. At least I'm keeping myself on a positive level!!!!!
Thanksgiving day... I woke up at 4:30 to put in the roast. I started preparing Thanksgiving dinner with my daughters, and their friends decided to come over to eat dinner with us. Yes, it was a lovely night. We took pictures and everyone got twisted, except me.
Black Friday, I did a little bit of Christmas shopping, but I was mainly preparing for all my trips. As you know, I'm going to have surgery again and it doesn't look too good for me, so I decided to take a couple of trips before I have surgery. On my next blog you will get to read about all the trips I enjoyed. Yes, it will be business and a vacation.
Until next time, merry Christmas and a happy new year! I'll see you next year!!!
PS... I want to thank my friends for being there for me. Jay Wise, Sunita, Evelyn Inoa, Malik, A-Mafia, Charles Perez, my dear friend Dr. Karen Copeland, my cousin Maria Hoyos and Lisa West!!! My family, I'm sorry for pushing you away Elis, Solsky, Priscilla Star... I LOVE YOU!!!!!
Things were going well for a while, but then I started feeling pain in my right leg back in September of 2011. I thought I would be fine if I just took a few painkillers, but that was only a temporary fix. It was just the beginning...
Incapacitated
It was October 15, my birthday. I expected my friend from the West coast to come to NYC. I bought her ticket, but I was kind of sad knowing she didn't show up. I guess it was just not meant to be. That week my pain became extremely painful.... I remember the next day being sick and that night going to Craig Derry's vocal classes when my partner Elis Pacheco, who saw something was wrong with me. Of course, I didn't tell him that something was wrong. I just told him that I was okay. That week, it hit me hard. I was gradually walking slower and then a week later I couldn't walk at all. Depression hit me, knowing that I wasn't able to walk again after all that I have already gone through to get back on my feet. I was afraid to go see a specialist as I knew he would just tell me that I might have to have surgery again. It got me scared! I could see my life crumbling down around me. Feeling hopeless... feeling useless... just feeling alone, knowing that I can do nothing about it.
Eight months I was stuck in the bed just doing nothing. My children were afraid for me. They tried so hard to convince me to get off the bed. I just didn't want to do anything. Even while I was in bed a lot had happened, but I just wanted to isolate myself. I cut off my network. I cut off my phone. But most of all, I cut off my family & friends. I spent Thanksgiving alone, I spend Christmas alone, even though my daughters were here. I was in the room while they were throwing a party outside on the other side of my door. On New Year's Eve of 2011, Priscilla and her boyfriend Darryl spent it here, while Solsky spent it somewhere else. Where was I? I was in my room again: alone.
Happy New Year 2012!!!!
January came by...nothing. February came by...nothing. March is here and it's time to fill out income taxes, but since I'm not filing taxes for myself, I have to do it for Priscilla. I believe that was the only thing I did that was productive over that eight month stretch.
Getting Out
It wasn't till the end of April that Priscilla finally convinced me to take a vacation. I went out of town for couple of days, hoping things would work out for me but I had this gut feeling that something was going down in New York City...and of course I was right. I decided to get an early flight back to NY to check up on things. It was a mission to try to catch a flight on a Saturday! I was on a waiting list to see if I could eventually get on a flight, but thanks to God I was able to catch a flight back home. When I finally arrive, Priscilla and her gang were throwing a party at my house while I was gone. Needless to say, she was surprised to see that I was back so early. I still let her throw the party but the gut feeling that something was really wrong wouldn't subside.
I invited my friend Lisa to come over because we were going to be the only adults at this party, but I still was feeling uncomfortable. My reservations about the night grew as the first guests arrived. I didn't even know who the hell they were, LOL! My nerves were already acting up, but Lisa was trying to make me feel comfortable. She tried as much as she could just to calm me down, but I couldn't.
The house got packed with people. I didn't even know who any of them were. They started dancing, my house started rumbling, people coming in and out, and they were smoking everywhere. The party started getting out of control. Then, it happened!!!! At 3:30 AM, a fight was brewing. I had just taken off my sneakers just to relax for a minute, when my daughter Solsky began banging on my door screaming! I ran out the door to approach the guy who was arguing with another guy. Then, I noticed a couple of the guys putting their hands inside their coat. (I knew they had something inside the coat because I saw two of them begin pulling it out and I was able to convince the men not to.) My first reaction was to try to calm this guy down and take them to the hallway of my building. There was one knucklehead who wanted to shoot I saw it in his eyes. As a defense, I grabbed one of his guys by the neck just for protection like a bulletproof shield. I told him to put the gun away and put it back in his pocket, but he refused to listen to me. I ended up dragging him down the steps until he got in front of the building. That's when I told him that my building had security cameras and in the next two minutes the police were going to show up, so they all decided to get back in the van and leave. That was a close one! Of course my daughter made it seem like nothing was going to happen, but if I wasn't there someone would've gotten shot.
Bad News
In May, I got a phone call that the mother of my children is in jail for attempted murder. Yeah, she had just got her life situated and was staying drug free. Now she faces prison time up to 10 to 15 years. It's sad to say that she's got two young daughters with a messed up father, and these kids will not have their mother around, AGAIN!!!!
Failure to Communicate
June 14th P's birthday: Since that party things weren't working out for us. We had a big misunderstanding, so she moved to New Jersey with my dear friend Karen Fowler, the Vice President Sesame Workshop. Things are going well for her there, I knew she was suffering because of my illness but I just needed for her to be more independent and not worry about me so much.. I was just being selfish. She grew up too fast!
On Father's Day, she came to pick me up to have dinner. We started talking again, I could see it in her eyes she was still hurting because of my situation and me being ill. She was trying to motivate me, trying too give me hope again. I just couldn't...but at least I got out of the house.
Fostering Safety
July 17th, I got a phone call at 5:30 in morning from Solsky and Priscilla's sister. It was kind of strange for her to even call at that time. We hadn't spoken for about a year. I picked up the phone and asked what was wrong. I could hear her tears over something terrible that happened to her while mother was away and her father was staying with her. When she told me what had occurred, my first reaction was to come to the house. She arrived around 8:30 a.m. I just couldn't believe what they did to her. I got ACS and the police involved. Once again I became a foster parent; once again another child changes my life. Soon, she will be officially adopted and her name will be changed to St. Clair Diaz!!!!!
Mexican Stand-off
August 31st, St. Clair's Birthday: I had told the girls that for me just to get my mind clear, I needed to take a vacation. So I decided to leave to go to Mexico September 3rd. I was on my way to the airport when I noticed I had an infection in my right finger. It was bothering me so much, then it started getting swollen. I decided to keep to my plans despite the infection. Then, I caught a panic attack inside the plane when we had to make an emergency landing in Dallas. They rush me to the hospital because I told him that I was a diabetic, and they noticed that the finger was swollen. I stayed in the hospital for three days. Man, I was so upset knowing that I couldn't get to my Mexico! They kept me there just for observation while giving me some antibiotics for the infection in my finger. They wanted to make sure that it had nothing to do with the diabetes. So, I finally left the hospital, got back to the airport, and American Airlines was so nice that they put me on the first class flight to Mexico.
Back In Action
September 10th, Solsky's Birthday: I was still in Mexico, preparing myself all the chaos in NYC!! A couple of days later, I arrived back in New York City. I had to register St. Clair for high school. I was able to put her in one of the best schools in New York City, thank God!!!! I also was able to prepare myself to go see the specialist about my chronic back pain. The moment I got back, I was getting phone calls to start working again and my energy boost is up to 100%. I'm back!!!!!!!!
Oct 15th, my birthday: I threw a dinner party at my house with my kids and their friends. I had begun seeing a specialist and getting therapy for my anxiety attacks. I was happy to know that I was back to normal again.
November 15th, I went see the spine specialist. That's when they dropped a bomb on me: My bones didn't heal right and I have a cracked screw... yeah, that's right, a cracked screw in my back... and it broke... so now I have to go for a second spine surgery! I was afraid of that, but at least I was mentally prepared. The spine specialist laid out the risk factors. He told me that if I don't do this, in six months I will not be able to walk again. If I do get the surgery, I only have a 50/50 chance of healing, meaning that I may walk or may not walk. . I have to leave it up to God. It also a six months recovery, therefore six months stuck in bed. Wow! Not again! At least this time I will have something to do. I'm buying studio equipment so I can make music from home and work on P.Star's album, which she will co-produce with me. I am also working on Jay Wise's Project. We're close to getting a deal as well as setting up a tour overseas. Lastly, I am working with THE NO-NAME GANG, my godson Bugzy's Project. As for my own personal project, I will be finishing my book very soon. At least I'm keeping myself on a positive level!!!!!
Thanksgiving day... I woke up at 4:30 to put in the roast. I started preparing Thanksgiving dinner with my daughters, and their friends decided to come over to eat dinner with us. Yes, it was a lovely night. We took pictures and everyone got twisted, except me.
Black Friday, I did a little bit of Christmas shopping, but I was mainly preparing for all my trips. As you know, I'm going to have surgery again and it doesn't look too good for me, so I decided to take a couple of trips before I have surgery. On my next blog you will get to read about all the trips I enjoyed. Yes, it will be business and a vacation.
Until next time, merry Christmas and a happy new year! I'll see you next year!!!
PS... I want to thank my friends for being there for me. Jay Wise, Sunita, Evelyn Inoa, Malik, A-Mafia, Charles Perez, my dear friend Dr. Karen Copeland, my cousin Maria Hoyos and Lisa West!!! My family, I'm sorry for pushing you away Elis, Solsky, Priscilla Star... I LOVE YOU!!!!!
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Summer 2011
Recovery Update
It's been a while since my last blog post, and I know that you are probably wondering whats up with my recovery. I have to say, though my back is healing, it's been a slow process, but things are going well.
Physical therapy has been decreased from 3 times a week, to 2 times a week. Things are taking longer than what I expected, but I have accepted the fact that now I have to take things slower than what I used to before. I'll see my specialist again at the end of the month, and I hope he gives me some good news about my back so I can be okay to go work out and things like that.
I've been overwhelmed with so many things lately; it's been too hectic to work on the blog. I was juggling a number of projects that I am really excited about. I have been working on beauty pageants, consulting with different labels, working on two videos P-Star starred in and of course the most important thing: recovering from my surgery.
Projects in the Making
I am currently still working on the TV show pilot call “Mediators”, which goes deep into the lives of bullies and their victims. We have a host of different celebrities, one per show, who will do interventions in these volatile situations. The celebrity will sit the bully down, talk with them, mentoring them as well as the victim. The purpose of this show is to instill new-found confidence in them, so they will be impacted enough in life for things to change. The goal is for the bully to see the error of his ways, and for the victim to rebuild their self-esteem and no longer be victimized.
Another exciting project is the American beauty pageant pilot. It's a competition like no other, because the focus is not solely on outer beauty, but on inner beauty as well. As such, our competition will have contestants that might not make it to other pageants. We want to build their character as well as reinforcing their self-esteem. Adding to unique flavor of this contest, we will have an all American boy and all American girl winner.
Family Happenings
Mother's day passed. It's a day when everyone can sit back and appreciate those mothers that dedicated their lives for their children, as I and other parents have, sacrificed their lives for their children. I had a wonderful Mother's day. As you know, I am a single father and taking care of my kids is priority. My kids realized that, and so they celebrated with me as if I were mom on Mother's Day. I received flowers and gifts from my kids, which is funny since they only gave me a card on Father's Day! (LOL) As a parent we watch our kids grow and we guide them in the right direction. Seeing how they have grown is truly a blessing to my heart.
When I look at my girls, I can see the fruits of my labor. Solsky finished high school, got a job and is getting ready to go to college. Priscilla finished school this year, and is going to the next grade with honors. I'm a proud parent because I did the best I could teaching them right from wrong, work ethic, and giving them a great education. In the upcoming year will be getting more involved with their education. Priscilla will go back to high school this fall, where I was nominated and elected into the position of Vice President for the Parents Board Association. I was honored. The one thing we need more than anything in this world is education.
Another proud moment for me was my daughter, Priscilla's 17th birthday. She decided-instead of a party, that she would go be with the military children. She was able to film a video with the children.
It was such a beautiful thing for her to do on her birthday. She didn't have to do it, but she felt that it was more needful to give back to the community than it was to celebrate her birthday.
Priscilla's selfless act made me want to give her a celebration she would never forget. So, I gave her a birthday party on Saturday. It was a full on all teen birthday party. I was the only adult there, but they had a great safe time. Priscilla thanked me so much for having this great party for her. It was one of the happiest times of her life.
Diaz Family Productions On the Road
We started promoting the upcoming album called “The Reintroduction of Miss P-Star”. It's an album that will solidify her as a positive role model to educate people in life in general. The first show we did was outdoors at the Puerto Rican festival, where she was able to perform a song from the album. The concert went great. The song was well received.
On that same day we had to go to Staten Island for the film festival, where we performed as part of the Children's Literacy Society, who sponsored the film for that event. It's a great organization that promotes literacy for all children. P-Star is honored to be the face of such an organization.
They also showed the P-star movie. We were overwhelmed, as there were lots of people with lots of questions. The next day the movie won an award for “best audience choice for a documentary”, which is another one on our sleeves (yay!). It's very exciting to know that the movie is being seen all over the world. We get great feedback from the fans, and I get nice compliments about being a good father. Of course you get the negative ones, but that's part of life. You can’t please everyone.
As you see I posted new videos of P-Star. She directed them both videos, which were shot in here. She has set yet another two records not only by being the first, but also the youngest, American to rap in Japanese.
She is working with my artist Jay Wise who is a wonderful kid. He has been working with me for 8 years. He developed from a street kid out of Washington Heights to this wonderful humble man who dedicates his music to everyone. Jay truly puts passion into his work. I have never seen anyone work the way he works … on his music and life. He has an album coming out soon named “The Wake Up Call”. Jay Wise and P-Star are working on another album together along with a few other artists. That project is called DFE “The Super Group”, but the name could change. Currently, he has a single called “King of the Jungle” as well as a song called “Teach Me How To Fly” featuring P-star.
So don't forget to check out the videos, the songs, and watch for Jay Wise and P-Star's albums, both coming out soon.
We are very fortunate and blessed and I thank God for all the wonderful things He has done for me. I truly enjoy life itself. I get it. I truly understand how people are. I could go on and on and write about all the revelations I have received through this life, but I will save the whole life story for my book. Its title is not set yet, but it will be a good book about single parents.
Help Me Find My Brother
Sad part … I have a twin brother that I haven’t seen in over 25 years.
Wow! A Twin brother! Yeah, my fraternal twin brother. His name is Alex. I have been trying to look for him, even though when we were doing the documentary we thought we found him. Unfortunately, we were a day late, as he had been released from prison right before we arrived. I tried to get his address from the lawyer, but there was no known address for him. I feel so deeply that I need to find him, especially knowing that he isn't aware of our mom and our sister passing away. His kids, Michael and Steven, ask for him all the time. I wonder what he is out there doing now. We don’t know if he is still a criminal or on drugs, but I have to make this a mission. He is my brother, so good or bad; I have to know for myself what is going on with him and where his is now.
His full name is Alejandro Jesus Diaz. If you are reading this blog and see this, if you know someone who knows someone, or if you have hears anything about him please don't hesitate to contact me. I know he is nowhere but in California, so please contact me and let me know. I have to see if I can find him.
I promise I won’t take another four month to write blogs. I will try to do at least one per month. I promise I will NOT take this long again!
I know you guys wanted to know what's going on with us. Feel free to comment or ask questions, but the most important thing is to help me find my brother. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Until next time...
Jesse Jess Diaz
DFE
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
RECOVERY
First and foremost, let me thank everyone for their concern, the flowers, the balloons, and the cards. Thanks to everyone who called my daughter and followed up with her about me. I truly want to extend my gratitude to everyone for the blessings.
In my last blog post, I wrote about how I had to reschedule my surgery, which turned out to be a good thing. It actually gave me enough time to prepare myself mentally. I had to come to terms with the reality that I may not make it. The reschedule also gave me time to write my will, send it out, prepare my kids, and let them know the details of the surgery.
February 15th: Surgery
I woke up early and my daughter, Solsky, took me to the hospital. We arrived around 10am, did all our paperwork, and got ready. My daughter Solsky stood beside me the whole time. My spirits were up, until I realized what I was signing. I had to choose a “healthcare proxy” so that I could set up who would take care of my medical needs in the event of my incapacitation. It was disturbing to truly realize just how serious the surgery really was. I gave it to Solsky to make all my decisions. The paperwork was getting scarier and scarier. I was shook! So when they started asking about the anesthesia, I started asking questions.
They explained how they were opening me up and fixing the spine. I had a great surgeon, Johnathan Stieber (http://www.stiebermd.com/), who I highly recommend as one of the finest specialists for back surgery in the country. He is a 5 star doctor with a 99.7% successful rate, with me adding one to his belt as being part of his success rate. Take a look at Johnathan Stieber's website. It's amazing the technology that they have now to go in and fix a spine. Back in the day, the risk factors were all included in the process of having surgery. Now, your risk factors are all in the recovery process, like if you have diabetes or some sort of disorder that would get in the way of healing properly. I was so nervous! It petrified me knowing I would be put to sleep for 8 hours. I was afraid that I would wake up through the anesthesia! That was my worst fear. He was great at getting me to calm down, easing my fears, and giving me confidence that the surgery would be a success.
Between 10:30 and 11 a.m., they escort me to the operating room. I gave my daughter a hug and let her know that I truly love her. All I remember after that is them telling me I was going in and me saying one word before I was out.
After Surgery: Ten and a half hours later
The moment that I got up was the greatest feeling ever! As soon as I opened my eyes, I could see that all my children were there: Solsky, Priscilla Star and my nephew Steven Diaz. Knowing that I woke up alive, knowing that all my family was there, got me so excited that the staff had to tell my kids to leave because being overexcited was making my blood pressure go out of control. The kids told me that while they were leaving I was saying crazy things like “I have superpowers!” and “I am the bionic man”. It's really funny when you think about it. The doctors were explaining to Priscilla that they had to reconstruct my back, so they had to clean up my back and make sure everything was put in place before even getting to work on the spine, which is why it took 2 more hours. The extra work made the total time 10 1/2 hours in surgery. I went in at 11 and got out at 10:30 at night. Thankfully, I did not wake up under the anesthesia, as I had previously feared.
I fell back asleep and I woke up the next day, in my room, asking the nurse if I had seen my children. I thought I was dreaming that all my kids were there. While I was inside my room, I was receiving flowers, cards, letters, from numerous people that knew that I was getting this operation. I also received from my dear friend Karen Fowler and the Electric Co. Staff Edible Arrangements, balloons, and cards. I truly want to thank everyone again for their concern and love for me throughout this ordeal. You have no idea how encouraging it was to know that so many people, even if they didn't know me personally, cared enough to send their well wishes.
I immediately felt my condition upon waking. I was unable to walk, had tubes all over my body, was in excruciating pain. It was uncomfortable to sleep, especially knowing that I couldn't move. It was so frustrating. I was unable to take myself to the rest room, so I had to be taken care of by the nurse. Although I felt uncomfortable, mentally I knew I had to get better so I could get discharged. I knew that I had to speed the recovery process so no infections occurred. I had to mentally get myself out of the bed...and I had to do it all by myself. No nurse or physical therapist could really help me. It was all up to me.
February 18th:Release and Recovery
I was released on a Friday evening because I was anxious to get out of there already. I was homesick! When I was discharged, they gave me my prescriptions, and my godson (Manny Rosario), his girlfriend (Jovina), and my daughters come pick me up. I had so much stuff in the room that they had to carry it all out. Manny was still with me, even after he had come to the hospital every single day. He was faithful to bring me chicken noodle soup, crackers and Gatorade. All he kept telling me is “Jess get better. Six pack!” meaning we are going to work out together and get a six pack. I can’t even imagine having a six pack! He is psyching me up about working out, me getting better and just working out with him.
On my way home, we had stopped at every drug store to try and get my meds. Can you believe that none of them had it? It was kind of frustrating for me because I was in a car an extremely uncomfortable due to my condition. I was so anxious to get out of this car. It was the worst ride I ever had.
Once I got out of the car it was all I could do to get up the steps. It took me 45 minutes to get up 5 flights of steps to my home. FINALLY, as I arrived at my apartment, I realized that I could lie in my own comfortable bed and have a normal sleep! What a relief! One of the greatest feelings in the world is knowing that you are going to be able to sleep in your own comfortable bed.
The next day, they finalized my outpatient procedures, which provided me with a home attendant, nurse aid, physical therapy. As the process has gone on, I have been getting better, walking more, and having less pain. It's still frustrating that I'm stuck in the house trying to get caught up with all the business that I had to put on hold. I am grateful that the people involved with the pilot shoot wanted me to be there. Kind enough that my Executive Producer paid for my nurse to come down to do the TV shoot for “The Mediators” of which I am the producer of the show...but I will give u more details about that later.
All in all, it's great to be back home with my family. I cannot thank you all enough for making this recovery process more tolerable through your love, prayers, and well wishes. You have no idea what a blessing you all
Until next time
Love,
Jesse Jess
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
The Ending of January
January has come and gone, and it has been some time since my last blog entry and a lot has happened.
Where should I begin? On Martin Luther King Day, school was out, so we decided to go into the studio to record some songs that P-Star had written for herself and for some other artists. In addition to work, we took some time to recognize that Martin Luther King fought for civil rights and for equal opportunity. MLK had a dream and the dream has come along way. There is still much that we need to work on, but there has been a lot of progress. Like MLK, I have my own dreams. My dream is to help those that cannot help themselves. To help others be the best they can be. I’m a person that believes, pushes and supports whatever people want to do. I believe that you if can dream it; then you can do it!
Moving on to my girls…. I’d like to begin with Solsky. What can I say about a young lady that has so much going for herself. Solsky has achieved so much and surpassed my (or any father’s) expectations. Solsky has a unique way of doing things and she has been able to use the computer to her advantage. Because of her computer, Solsky has been able to soar to incredible heights! Solsky has defied the odds and will graduate from HS with a regents Diploma!
How about Priscilla?!?! P-Star is an amazing talent, but more importantly, she is a little girl with a great big heart! She writes from her experiences and transforms all that life gives her into what she expresses. She is a truly remarkable young lady. She lives, learns and displays! What more can I ask for?! Like her sister Solsky, Priscilla is proof that hard work, dedication and determination, will guarantee success and happiness!
I would like to dedicate this blog entry to my daughters, Solsky and Priscilla. They are proof that hard work pays off. They have also proved just how important having an education is towards achieving your goals. Make no mistake….. No matter how much they achieve, it is still up to us parents to support and enforce education! Life is based on knowledge, wisdom and understanding and I totally understand how important education is!!!
Priscilla recently had an art gallery event which took place at her High School. I took Armando Soto, my business Partner and Sinclaire to this event. The artwork being displayed was created by the students. The students involved were from grades 6th to 12th. The event was a fundraiser for the school. It was a truly amazing event! The artwork was significant and appeared to have a lot of meaning to the artists. The event was truly representative of the past, present and future. The event also showed that having positive influences will certainly show in the artwork. The artwork was memorable and impressive!
Last week we celebrated London’s and Alexis’ birthday on Saturday. We had such a great time and a lot of my old friends showed up. My God son Manny Rosado also showed up and I was thrilled to see him. The last time I saw him was at a showing of "P-Star Rising" at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2009 -but it was only for a second. We took time to catch up and we talked about the good old days -my God son turned out great. We partied until it was time for me to say good night to all.
Before I leave I want to take an opportunity to inform everyone of a very important issue in my life. You’re all important to me, so it is important that you all know. On February 15, I’m having spinal surgery. I have a condition called Isthmic spondylolisthesis and I have it at grade 3 (close to 4). I went to see three specialists and my primary doctor and they all told me that I needed to do have this surgery. I have thought about this for about 4 months but I realize that it is something that I must do. I wake up in pain in my right leg just about everyday and I cannot take it anymore. At first, I thought it could be Stacia but it wasn't. I went to physical therapy, took the shots for my back for 3 months, but nothing worked. So, I am going to do this and I am sure that with all of your prayers, I will surely overcome this. I want to in advance for your support and prayers. If you have any questions please feel free to comment me.
Until next time
Jesse Jess
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