Beginning mileage: 87,094. Ending mileage: 90,116. Miles driven: 3,022. Gas and tolls: $422.23. Income: $256.34. 17 performances in 18 days. 11 open mikes, including 4 extended open mikes (25+ minutes).

Wow! WOw! WOW! What an amazing tour! Yes, I spent more on gas and tolls than I brought in, but the fact that I brought in money is a huge step in the right direction towards making a living from my music. Before the tour started, I thought this would be the starting point to make a living from my music, and now that it's over I definitely feel it is that step. The crowds were consistently small, but they were even more consistently appreciative of my music. Some simply because I'm clearly so passionate about what I'm doing. Some because they just enjoyed the music and my energetic performances. That's the biggest thing I take away from this tour, the positive responses. It tells me that I can definitely build something. It likely means I'll concentrate heavily on my local cities, especially Dayton and Cincinnati because both are within an hour of where I live. I'd love to play Oxford on a regular basis, but since Balcony has been torn down I no longer have the connections to do something like that, other than Relay For Life of course, which is a cause that is very important to me. Thank you R4L for letting me be a part of your tremendous event! I tried to host an open mic at Stadium since there isn't one in town at this point, but Stadium was ultimately not interested. So, Dayton and Cincy are where I will be focusing my local efforts.

My next steps from here aren't completely clear, but I will sit down and look at things over the next couple of days to figure out exactly what I'm doing. I can tell you that the 12 months starting with the beginning of the liberty island tour will be the busiest year I've ever had in terms of performing, and my goal is to go on a ridiculously large tour next summer. It's starting to be daylight out now, as I'm still up on the final night of the tour, and it just passed 6:00 am.

I am tremendously grateful for everyone who has helped me along the way. Everyone who bought a CD, gave me a place to crash, gave me gas money, allowed me to perform in their establishment, came out to a performance, and all of you who wished me luck along the way. It's because of you that I'm confident I'll accomplish the dream I've been working towards since I started rapping in 1992. It looks like 20 years will be that magic number to turning my passion into my living!

If you're reading this in lieu of reading each day, you're missing out on a few things that may be of interest. First, you're missing out on the results from each individual show. You're also missing out on videos from live performances, photos, and a few interesting stories along the way, including the one where I was sexually propositioned at a rest area one night. Uncomfortable at the time, but hilarious once I knew I was safe.

Thank you for reading, and for rooting me on! I will keep doing what I love, moreso than ever!

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