You can't make this up people. I know celebrities and artists do occasional endorsements but this seems a little too much. Rap artist 50 Cent aka 'Curtis Jackson' is scheduled to appear at a local liquor store in the suburbs of Baltimore for an autograph/ Vodka purchasing event Friday Sept 2.

I was cruising by there to pick up a 6-pack for the football games today and noticed the advertisements. I asked the clerk about it and he said 50 Cent was scheduled to appear Fri between 6-8pm EST. Bottles sell for $26 and a case of 6 is $150. With the purchase of a case he will sign each bottle and pose for a selfie. Don't know if this is selling out or a brilliant marketing strategy but at any rate Mr. Jackson is getting paid.

Clerk also informed me that signed bottles were selling on eBay at an average of $80/ bottle. After further investigation he was right. In fact bottles ranged from $50-$99. I'm not a Vodka drinker but intrigued with this development. Hey I'm all about money and this might be a way to make a quick buck.

At any rate I may drop in for a quick selfie and purchase a bottle or two to meet him. Who knows we may hit it off and form a unique relationship. Hey stranger things have happened and if he's doing promotions at this level then we're definitely in the ballpark.

-James

How lucky am I to find a personal bike mechanic? Soner Uludogan is the man. I've been fond of motorcycles ever since I was 9 years old. My dad use to bring home motorcycle magazines from his job and I use to cut out the pictures and post them on my bedroom wall.

Fast forward to now and I've owned numerous bikes, most sport bikes and one cruiser. It takes a lot of time and money to enjoy this 2 wheeled hobby not to mention the soaring cost of maintenance.

Last year I bought a bike on Craigslist and needless to say it needed some work. I purchased most of the parts needed to get it to pass inspection but alas my mechanical skills fell short and I needed help. Bike shops charge astronomical fees and I thought that was my only route. Enter Soner... The mechanic.

He hails from the Baltimore, Md region and works from his home. If warranted he will come to you and do any/ all repairs. Of course he charges a little more for house visits like any good technician would. Still its a lot less than the sharks of your local bike shop.

He came over yesterday as scheduled with his wife and daughter to do an oil change. His wife assisted with minor tasks that helped speed up the process tremendously. It's not everyday you find a spouse who shares your passion and helps you out. The daughter?... too precious. I turned on the TV in the basement and let her watch The Cartoon Network during the process. Nothing like having a smiling child's face around to make work enjoyable. She reminds me of my niece.

Anyway job went off w/o a hitch and I think he may have saved my bike. Turned out previous owner had put something that resembled car oil in the bike... a definite no-no. Bike fired up like a champ and the heavy white smoke that was coming from exhaust is all but gone now. Still have much work to do as I'll be having him put on new tires and change the spark plugs next wknd.

Props to my man Soner and I'll be passing this along to my biker friends. Check his Facebook page called 'Aero Professional Custom' to view his work, set up an appointment or ask him for advice. He's trying to get his biker bizz off the ground and I'll do my part to help. Don't want him to get too big less he forgets about the little man... mainly me lol. Thanks Soner I'll be in touch next wknd bro.

-James

Skevi is a model from the Mediterranean who now lives in the UK... that's England for the everyday Joe. Team G4R has been after her awhile for an interview and for some reason or another we've always missed. Yes we're friends on social media and have been in contact for years but haven't been able to pull off that infamous podcast yet. No worries, its finally coming to fruition with our new staff in place.

Brady Moryn and myself are spearheading G4R's new movement and are proud to feature her on our upcoming segment soon. Really can't delve more into it as we're still hammering out the details. In the meantime check out her page as we strive to bring her to the masses in the good ole USA.

Hell how many people can honestly say they talked to a world class model? Continue to follow us and you too will be in that category. She's recovering from an operation and to find out the 911 you have to stay tuned people.
-James

Story is true people seriously. In the late 80's/ early 90's I was in a 3 piece band called The Defference. We toured over TX and LA on a club circuit called Chelsea's. We had a white guy with long hair, a Mexican (still not sure to this day of his nationality lol) and a black guy, me. Anyway we were playing in one of our favorite cities Alexandria, LA and was invited to a party on our day off by fans and friends.

They showed up early Sunday morning at our hotel and we followed them in our van. We drove for hours on a desolate 2 lane highway and eventually pulled up to a mom-n-pop station for gas. Looked like something from a Stephen King movie. Our friends went in the store to pay for gas, beer and other supplies while I got out to stretch my legs. Cue scary music duh, duh, duh! Lol. Suddenly one of them came out and shouted 'James.... get back in the van!' Hey you don't have to tell a black man twice to get moving. No way am I being the first one killed in this story haha. He stated area was KKK territory and they had a meeting recently. We quickly fueled up and rolled out.

We continued on and drove for hours while the sun went down and eventually turned down a dirt/ mud filled road. Let me tell you its the first time I heard the phrase 'Red Mud'. It took us days to get it off the van. As we continued to follow our friends I was thinking... 'they could kill us out here and NO ONE would ever know.' We thought about turning around but we were completely lost. Remember this was an era before smart phones or GPS. Hell the map we had didn't have the road we were on. We were quiet for a while and though no one said it I'm sure we were all thinking... 'we're not going out without a fight.'.

Finally we all stopped and a guy from the car in front got out and proceeded through the bayou with only a flashlight. It was so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. After awhile he emerged and yelled C'mon. We got out and followed them through the swamp. Moments later we came to a small opening where we saw a small shack. One of them fired up the generator and the lights came on.

This shack in the woods turned out to be one of their out of way partying places and we had a blast. We drank brew and partied til the wee hours of the morning haha. Would I do it again? Hell no... I was a younger and naïve man back then. Still its one of the best partying experiences I've ever had. Shout out to my band mates who were in this fiasco with me lol... Greg Stokes and Roland Zertuche.
-James

Madden soundtracks have been synonymous with trending artists and this year's edition didn't fail. They took a break over last year or two but we're happy to see they've returned to this fan fave tradition. One particular Madden 16 song I like is "Can't feel my face" by The Weekend. I enjoy most of their songs but this one holds a special place in my heart as its motivated me to sling an axe over my shoulder again after a 10 year hiatus. Do I plan on starting up a band again? Probably not but who knows? The fact I'm playing again speaks volumes.

I've been a musician nearly my entire adult life and believe me when I say its therapeutic for the soul to play a musical instrument. Oh did I forget the mention the perks of playing 'air guitar'? Even when someone catches you doing it you still look cool because you're an actual musician haha. All good everyone enjoy the song.
-James