latchbeam

So check this shite out... WARNING! LONG BORING STORY AHEAD... Back in college I received two BA's one in History and one in Economics. I ended up going to Graduate School for History. I completed my graduate thesis, but was offered a great job (related to Econ) and could not pass it up. So I never got my Grad degree. My thesis was tilted: VooDoo and the Idealogical Effects on Slavery and the American Revolution. Long title, I know, but I worked my ass off on it for a whole freaking year (There was almost no material and no historical connections made that were public information and could be proven as fact.. at least as far as the direction that I wanted to take it). My professor requested that I do something to try to tie in VooDoo and the war... so that's what I came up with. Anyway this professor loved it and included part of it in one of his books (The Many Headed Hydra- A NYT Best Seller in its category). A year later another professor did the same. I am cited in both books. However, this was over 3 years ago.

I get a phone call early this morning at work. Its one of those professors above that I keep in touch with. He's got a professor friend at the University of Arizona that wants use my thesis? Of course I said as long as I am cited that would be more than fine with me. He said, "no I don't think you understand, he wants to use your entire thesis and all the information that you collected and researched to write a book on that specific topic." I was pleasantly surprised but very shocked.

So after some discussion on a 3 way call with the Arizona prof and my old prof, I agreed to send him all of the research and everything I wrote. So now I'm sifting through all of this stuff to send him...

A big reason that profs are all over this thesis is because I interviewed a very powerful, very old VooDoo priest from outside of Port Au Prince, Haiti via telephone and through writing. At the time, My professor told me that he knew a VooDoo priest that he met when he visited Haiti and gave me his mailing address (he told me that he didn't know if this guy would help me, but I should give it a try because there was no better source out there, period). This preist took a liking to me and sent me tons of stuff (and was kind enough to spend a lot of time on the phone with me and doing research himself). I'm talking about him sending some crazy ass shit like ceremonial items and icons. I have over 10 hours of recorded conversation with this guy... and another 10 hours that he dictated into a recorder for me. He also wrote to me a lot. He sent me a book, some notes, and clippings from 1807 to 1819 that were heirlooms of his. His whole family has always been well-known and respected. The funny thing is where he lives, there is only one phone for about 160 people! If there is a phone call for someone, sometimes it takes a half hour to find the people and that is IF they are available and bring them to the phone.

It turns out I was one of very few people that is not a Haitian to ever get information from this guy. I was lucky enough that this guy liked me. He liked my professor (and myslf as well) so much that he said whatever I want he would help get for me. The Arizona prof faxed me an article from a Haitian newspaper about the preist's recent death. It basically said that he was the most respected and feared, and at the same time legitimate, VooDoo preist in modern Haiti! I'm glad I didn't piss him off! He actually was one of the kindest people I had ever spoken to.

Now that is some crazy ass shite!!!


The funny twist to this story... I wanted to tell them that I still write in my spare time and would have told them about THE SOCIALLY ABRASIVE! That's a reaction that I would have loved to hear from them!