A day in Los Angeles...

So I get to tape my Jeopardy! episode tomorrow, but I was thinking... since I'm out here, I might as well see all there is to see in L.A. And the city tour that I took with my dad today did just that.

The "Fresh Prince" mansion, the HOLLYWOOD sign, Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, the Santa Monica Pier, Venice Beach, Sunset Strip, Universal Studios, Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Kodak Theatre, Staples Center, the Walk of Fame, and the random people on Hollywood Blvd. that impersonate Michael Jackson, Mickey Mouse, Catwoman, Supergirl, Yoda, Darth Vader, Spider-Man... wow.

I knew L.A. was a crazy city, but it seems like there's something to do on every street corner. Maybe it's just because I'm from Richmond, but this seems like the most fun place on Earth. Sure, we were stuck in traffic the whole time we were on the freeway, but as busy as this place is, the atmosphere is just great. Seriously... where else can you take a picture with Michael Jackson on the middle of the sidewalk?

Anyway, let me watch tonight's Jeopardy! episode and try to mentally prepare myself... one more day!

Exciting Phone Call...

First off... my sincerest apologies for not having posted to my blog in FOUR weeks. My job has just been very hectic, and I really haven't had time to do a lot outside of work. Actually, that's really just an excuse for the lack of interesting things going on with me this summer. But, that's about to change...

This past Tuesday, I received a phone call from someone at Sony Pictures Studios, who gave me some very exciting news: I'm going to be on Jeopardy! (And, no... the call wasn't a prank, or Punk'd, or Candid Camera, or anything like that... it was 100% real!) For those of you who don't know, I was a Jeopardy! contestant during their Back to School Week in October 2000. Just so happens, they want to have a "reunion" week, featuring past B2S contestants, and they picked me as one of them. August 10th (which, coincidentally, is my dad's birthday) is the day I'll fly out to Los Angeles for the show's taping.

I'm not gonna lie... I'm nervous. God definitely helped me out the last time around, with a come-from-behind win that hung completely on the Final Jeopardy! answer. If either one of the other contestants had gotten it right... no win for me. And, most likely, no second trip to L.A. in a couple of weeks. But, thanks to the fact that my co-contestants didn't know that the guy who turned 18 on June 21, 2000, who also happened to have a little brother named Harry and a dog named Widgeon, was none other than Prince William... I came in first place. (If you're wondering what in the world I'm talking about, fast forward to the last couple of minutes of this video.)

But like I was saying... I'm nervous!! I'm very competitive, and I hate to lose at anything... especially on a nationally-televised game show. But I can't really study for it, unless I want to try memorizing the entire Encyclopædia Brittanica in two weeks. And that's not gonna happen. So, I guess I should just look forward to the trip, and enjoy every minute of it, win or lose. After all, none of my other friends have ever been on Jeopardy!, and I'll have been on there twice. That's something to brag about, right?

The Week in Review...

So I haven't written anything here since Saturday night... probably due to the fact that I worked 47 hours this week. Yep... 47.

Is the job tiring? Yes.

Is the job stressful? Yes.

Do the kids wear me out every day? Yes.

Am I still looking forward to going back to work on Monday? Yes.

I'm not gonna lie... I have to put a lot more into this job than pretty much anything I've done before. The kids are sometimes difficult to handle, the way the program is organized often leaves little to be desired, and, when it comes down to it, I feel like I'm doing a lot more than I signed up to do.

But I don't mind. When I'm assigned to give individual attention to a child who likes to be disobedient and to have his own way, it's not the most fun thing to do. But after spending the day with him, growing make-believe plants in the garden with him, playing in the water with him, going up and down the slides with him... and when he starts crying and throwing a fit after I leave at the end of the day, only to completely calm down and give me a big hug when I come back for a minute to say goodbye... it's all worth it.

When the kids who ride my van in the morning get upset because "Mr. H" won't be taking them home in the afternoon... when a little boy comes up to me and grabs my arm because he wants me to eat lunch with him... or when a 5-year-old girl on my afternoon van is tired from the day and curls up in my lap to take a nap... I realize why I love this job.

I love it because I feel like I'm making a difference. I know I'm not Bill Gates, giving billions of dollars to help improve healthcare, enhance education and reduce poverty. But if I can help just one child, I'm satisfied. The kids I work with need somebody to be nice to them, to uplift them, to reprimand them, to teach them, to care for them, to be with them... to be an example for them. In a nutshell, that's my job.

Last week, I said it's going to be a long summer. I was right. The only problem... it won't be long enough.

Late Night Special

It's late Saturday night (or early Sunday morning... whatever works for you), and I just realized that I haven't posted to my blog in the last four days... so I thought I'd change that.

Anyway, I'm about to start my summer job on Monday, working with kids, ages 4-14, that have different types of behavioral problems or have experienced different types of abuse. I'm helping teach music and dance to all of the 150+ kids in the program. It's a good ministry, but it's going to be a long summer. From 7:15 AM - 3:45 PM, Monday - Friday, until August 15. Honestly, I don't think I'm ready for this... I've never worked with kids before, and I've never really taught before either. But, for some reason, I'm not worried about it. I'm pretty confident that after the program is finished at the end of the summer, I'll be fulfilled and I'll look forward to maybe doing it again next year.

Hopefully Monday won't change my thoughts on that.

A Letter from a Disappointed Fan...

Dear Lakers,

There's nothing worse than seeing my favorite team make it all the way to the very end and then lose. Wait... I take that back. Seeing them go that far, only to show no sense of urgency and completely give up is even more disheartening. Right now, you could probably convince me that President Bush is more committed to improving his approval rating than you guys are to winning the championship this season... which is why I had to turn the game off.

Don't get it twisted... I love you guys as much as any other Lakers fan does. But I can't bring myself to watch my 12 favorite players handing the game over to the other team. Literally. 17 turnovers? 16 of which came from having the ball stolen? Only 1 (yes, just 1) offensive rebound for the whole team? And all of this still with 9:27 left in the game? Come on. 

Honestly, I'd rather all of you just walk off the court now and stop pretending. If you don't want it as much as the Celtics do, then fine... but don't give your fans false hope by continuing to play. Just call it a night, shake the Celtics' hands, take second place and try it again next season.

Thanks,

D. Hudson 

What does the name mean?

Before I start, let me be polite and welcome you to my blog. I appreciate you taking the time to read what I have to say about what I feel is important. Okay... now since that's out of the way...

You might be wondering why the name of my blog is Costly Speech. Well, simply put, my parents always taught me that every word has power and influence. Although a blog is the perfect example of the freedom of speech that we have as Americans, I feel that everything I say here is a reflection of who I am, and, therefore, I have to be careful in what I write. Don't get me wrong... the main reason I'm starting this blog is to express myself, and so I'm going to let all of my true feelings out to the best of my ability. But, I still have to take responsibility for anything that I write, since this blog does belong to me and only me. I hope nothing that I say on here will end up being too costly.

Enjoy...