Hey everybody!

Yesterday, my pickup truck was stolen. I’m reaching out for support as I try to raise $4,248—the Blue Book value—to get a reliable replacement and keep moving forward. With insurance prices in Oakland these days, all I could afford was liability, which doesn’t cover theft. I had a security chip in my key, but apparently, there are new tools that bypass even that—learned that from the police. So here we are.

Day to day, I’m a full-time dad (tuition, homework, the works), and I also manage everything involved in caring for my father. It’s a lot to juggle, but I do my best to keep all the pieces moving.

The truck was crucial for picking up side gigs and bringing in a little extra income on top of everything else. Losing it isn’t just inconvenient—it’s a real setback.

When I first got the truck, most folks would’ve passed on it just by looking at the bed—it was in horrible shape. However, I decided to take on the project and build the truck myself. I completed a ton of repairs, but the biggest one was replacing the truck's bed. I finally found one at the junkyard, swapped it out, got it on a crane hoist, then engine hoist, and was almost at the finish line—90%—when the bed slipped off the engine hoist and smashed against my finger—essentially removing 2 of the 3 layers of skin. It hurt like hell lmao!!!!! I almost quit, BUT, made a conscious decision: I’m too close to the finish line! So I finished it with one hand. :-D —The biggest of several lessons my truck taught me—whether it was her bed or my finger—is that you can’t always trust what you see at FIRST glance. Sometimes your mind and willpower can take you places your eyes would never believe.

Honestly, I could deal with a messed-up finger for a few months. But why’d it have to be picky—my guitar finger, of all things! LOL.

P.S. The first time I picked up a guitar again—after almost two months—was just me messing around on break during our Co-Llab session for Nai Bhargouti’s new song “If I Should Die.” I wasn’t planning to join in, just testing my finger. It was still uncomfortable, but that moment helped me push past my biggest hurdle yet. Funny how what started with a busted truck ended up connecting me to something bigger than myself. For that lesson, I’ll always be grateful. That’s the video you’ll see on my third Instagram slide—a couple clunky parts, but all heart.

Thanks so much for reading and supporting however you can.