JAH'S JOINT

Apathy? NOT!

Things were busy as hell after Monday. Missed the Wednesday slot at The Baobab, but there were a lot of other things that required attention. Had both triumphs and defeats. The former included landing the backing of an investor for the publishing project and the release to print for two new booklets (gotta start somewhere). The latter included a not making it to my daughter's graduation and a shot to the grill that had me metaphorically picking up teeth from the vocational side.

All things happen for a reason. But I don't like taking cheap shots to the jaw either, so I pick myself up slowly, even more pissed that when I wrote the last post. But instead of wrath's heat, I feel rage's coldness.

In the word's of Wesley Snipes in Blade: "Some muthafuckas always tryin' to ice skate uphill."

Yep. Got me that time FUCKERS! Now let me see if you can handly my shot.

Oh yeah. JD say's he's got some more of that Dragon Tale shit. Ya, ya, ya. Tomorrow. Today, if mom was here, she'd be 71 years old. She's not here, though. So maybe that can help you see why, right now at least, it's hard to give a fuck about anything else.

Hotep.

posted by JahStorm @ 9:15 PM Your Thoughts?: 1

The Flavor of Wrath

Color me angry today. Not the hot red anger of irrationality, but the cold, icy blue rage that can result in calculation without emotion. THEY want to control me, manipulate me, but they don't even know me. And if THEY think they hate me now, wait until I reveal myself...

My wrath is such that I know I could shatter a two-by-four with a wave of my hand, disintegrate a half-foot cinder block with a touch from my heel. And I believe that I could stare into a human's third eye and burn it out with my glare. Oh yeah, Chief Jahaka is plenty big pissed this day.

My plans were not iron-clad but they were plans. Meet with my main investor, have lunch, another meeting with a group I'm signing on to do promotions for, a visit to the printer and, depending on the weather, a little public promotion and maybe a trip to an open mic tonight. I made all these plans for today because THEY said they might need me tomorrow to get to the bottom of the bullshit THEY have been trying to shovel over me.

My availability is not required, but THEY wish to make some claim to fairness, despite the fact that evolution of events to this juncture prove that THEY have no interest in fairness, whatsoever, but quite contrary. So know I have to deal with the waking of the Dragon.

The Dragon came into being during the late '80s, when I was was a member of SEAL Team Six onboard the USS Nassau, LHA-4. There were several operations that I would not have been able to complete successfully had not the Dragon emerged to do what he does, which is to wreak destruction. Ironically, THEY showed me where the Dragon slept and how to awaken him, for THEIR own corrupt purposes. THEY were different masks now, but it is still THEM, I can tell it by the smell of fear and the dull glow of ignorance and the dearth of aural vibration. THEY never knew that, even when the Dragon flew over Lebanese sands, years before Desert Storm, trying vainly to rescue one of THEM who was also one of us.

Complicated, but that's all I'm allowed to say until the year 2017 (at which time I'm gonna expose a lot of shit about the good old US of A!)

But now that Dragon is tossing and turning, the pounding of my blood is like wardrums in his head and keeping him asleep is more difficult. But, I think THEY know that, too. They want the Dragon to wake, because whatever he fucks up in seconds will be used to destroy the Dragon Vessel, forever.

However, the Dragon is no longer THEIRS to command. Vows that bound me to them are long expired and the great serpent, part of me before I came under their control and still a part of me long after I tossed all that gear into a burning trash can, saying "Fuck Bush (Sr), fuck the Navy and fuck this goddamned uniform."

Okay, that feels better and it was very needed. It seems the process of venting my anger in words eases the pressure a little, allows me to go on in a straight frame of mind. These corporate idiots can sense the Dragon, I think, but they don't know how fully grown and evolved that Dragon is. They have no idea how acute is his destructive prowess and poking him in the way they have is similar to sticking a 2-pronged fork into an electrical outlet and is equally as bright.

It would feel so good to do a show a force today, maybe kick a soda machine through a wall or something so people can marvel and know that an Angel of Death had been walking in their midst.

posted by JahStorm @ 7:17 AM Your Thoughts?: 1

Back in the game?

My sister talked me into going on a job interview yesterday. I had mixed feelings about it, because it seemed almost like a gesture of defeat(!) in light of a current issue I have with my last employer. But a lot of factors made those mixed feelings redundant, so I slipped a tie around my neck, bound the dreds into a neat tail in back of my head, put on my game face, and went to play the interview game.

After three years in child care, I had almost forgotten what a formidable resume I've built in my technical career. SNAPS system specialist in the US Navy, 7 years; Helped launch and led the Data Entry team at American Transtech, Jacksonville, FL; Helped open the America Online tech suport center in Jacksonville and led a team for 2 years; Web Master and Technology Manger for a startup ISP (Jacksonville). Single-handledly organized a Tech Support team for the Street.com on Wall Street and recruited, hired, trained and managed my staff. Jumped from there to Director of Quality Assurance with the same company, where I repeated the "organize, recruit and train hat trick" - this time for an entire department. Meanwhile, I moonlighted as Consultant for Network Administration and Web Server maintenance to various NYC-area clients for 6 years.

Then I have to consider the straight 4.0 GPA from Career Blazers Technical Institute, where I completed my MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) course with no test score lower than 96%! When it came to technology, I walked the walk - no! I strutted the strut - all through the '90s and the first few years of the new century.

So why was I so surprised when the interviewer was floored by my history, and quoted a pay rate nearly double what the original headhunter had mentioned; nearly double what I made at my last job? Why was I so surprised that he hinted they might wish me to start as early as Monday? (Of course, I'm still waiting for the call confirming the arrangements.)

Why am I still entertaining doubts? Technology is my Baby man - I've been everything from a member of a hacker ring to a six-digit-income Wall Street geek. So why am I still entertaining doubts???

Because of hateration. I've been here and done that. The Director's position at TheStreet.com on Wall Street was what did me in. You can't maverick your way from software pirate to Big Company BigShot, take time away, and then jump back into the tech game and expect someone to give you a chance near Ground Zero. They view you as a threat, as often as not, and go for someone who can do the job, but hasn't earned a reputation for coming in and taking over.

But these guys seem different. The leader of this unit is a former Kodak employee (17 years) who has his own impressive resume. I may not be viewed as a threat. I might be getting off the bench and back in the game.

Come on, telephone! RING!

posted by JahStorm @ 11:18 AM Your Thoughts?: 1

State of the Illusion (AND POEM)

Last night, I listened to George Bush when he did his thing on TV. Am I the only person alarmed by the stuff he was talking about making into law? The phrase "biological identification" when he was talking about the new ID cards for immigrant workers sent chills up my spine. Sure, fingerprints today, but tomorrow it will be retina scans, DNA samples and tatooed bar codes on the skin. Welcome to Geoge Orwell's 1984, only a generation late.

Immigration control measures was the topic, and there was a not-so-subtle 'anti-terrorist' message between each and every line. We're going to set up video camera's along 2,000 miles of our southern border, double the staff of Border Patrol and use National Guardsmen to supplement border control "especially in urban areas." Okaaaaaay.

Don't get me wrong - I believe terrorism is a very evil thing and should be stamped out. But I don't think we need to sacrifice half of our Constitutional Rights to make that happen. Nevertheless, that's where we appear to be headed, as anyone with open eyes can see.

I want to write about two things this morning, and then I'm done (for now). I want to discuss the 'Two Americas' and 'Thesis to Synthesis.'

TWO AMERICAS
During the Lyndon B. Johnson administration, when Civil Rights was thrust upon the American consciousness as a serious issue, it was stated that there were "two separate and unequal Americas, one Black and one White."

This proclamation of a reality diametric to the principles of Democracy hit the citizenry hard and became a catalyst for many changes, but not all were good. For example, Segregation ended the need for Blacks to sometimes walk for blocks to find a place to use the bathroom or get a drink of water, but it also destroyed black commerce in many (formerly) thriving communities. Even World-Famous Harlem saw a long period of blight until its recent Rennaisance.

Unfortunately, the "Two Americas" thing was only partly true, but mostly hype. There were, indeed, many inequities in how ethnic groups were received and how much support they could expect from the government, but the real divisions were (and remain) issues concerning (financial status) class, as opposed to ethnicity.

But think for a minute. Let's say you're a gorilla in a banana tree and you're dominating the branch with the biggest, sweetest bananas. Naturally, the other apes are trying to dislodge you from your position so they can get that fruit. Would it not be in your best interest to make those swarming simians believe that a different gorilla really had the best branch? By the same token, if you were a powerful human being in society, hoarding wealth and other resources to the disadvantage of others, wouldn't it be in your best interest to blame someone else for hoarding those resources?

You would even CONSPIRE to make sure you were perceived in a light that was more conducive to your safety and to preserve your position of advantage, wouldn't you? Don't lie to yourself! I'm altruistic, but I think I would do it, too. It's called Human Nature, unfortunately...

THESIS TO SYNTHESIS
You just have to trust me on this one, but if you think about it with your inner mind, you'll see the truth.

Thesis: "A proposition that is maintained by argument." Okay, so the unknown richest person on Earth sits at a poker table with some other filthy rich mofos and says: "Hey this world is getting too wide open with technology and stuff. Information is too free and people are learning too much about our clandestine agenda. We need bigger and more powerful security forces, just in case the people we oppress start thinking they should rise up to throw us off."

Antithesis: "a) Sharply contrasting ideas are juxtaposed; b) The second and contrasting part of such a juxtaposition." Okay, so now another power mogul in that dark, smokey room says: "But the people will never stand for increased police forces without a reason that they believe is valid. How can we make them believe they NEED this?"

Synthesis: "a) Reasoning from the general to the particular; logical deduction; b) The combination of thesis and antithesis in the Hegelian dialectical process." Make them fear the alternative. Fear makes idiots of most people, so destroy the greatest landmark in the greatest city on Earth and see what happens. (Hint: Watch the tape of the WTC 'explosion' in slo-mo. Ask any engineer under what circumstances a burning building, supposedly on the verge of collapse, would RISE a foot or two before collapsing upon itself; and do so in as neat a pancaked pile as one could hope for with a building that stands 110 stories tall.)

You want to build stockpiles of nuclear weapons? Tell The People that the other guy is doing it, so we must do it too to maintain a Balance of Power. Want to circumvent the Privacy Act of 1974 to spy on U.S. citizens? Tell The People anybody could be a terrorist and we'll all die if everybody isn't watched closely. You want to corner the oil market? Tell The People that the world's top oil-producing nation is a terrorist hotbead that also harbors weapons of mass distruction. If The People ask: "What Terrorists? We never get terroirized!" then destroy a couple national landmarks to drive the point home a little deeper. Then 'retaliate' with an attack against a weaker neighbor, to prime your troops and get public war-fever support behind you. Now you're almost ready to be King.

(Oh, and while you're occupying that first country, build a thousand-mile oil pipeline to get off-shore oil from Eastern Seas to Persian Gulf refineries - it will save you millions in tanker transport. Never mind the fact that this small country denied you the right to build that pipeline before you conquered it, what they desire no longer matters and your own environmentalist won't have a problem with a pipeline half the world away from your own natural wildlife areas.)

But before you totally get things squared away in that country, go after that #1 Oil Producer with all you've got. Even if that newly-colonized nation's oil wells are out of commission, burning with unbelievably hot fires, you can still sell your Texas Oil at a premium, a bigger premium tahn anyone ever imagined.

Who knows, with a little luck a hurricane or something might take out the Louisiana oil refiners and your Texas product will make you BILLIONS. After all, when you can make that kind of financial killing, what's a little human killing (a measley three-or-four hundred thousand - mostly foreign - mostly "Sand Niggers") to you? And The People? Oh, don't worry about them -- their a bunch of networked numbed idiots. Those who do raise a red flag will be disregarded and called "eccentric."

And now I'm done. The world is being led to Hell and most of us are sitting around with our thumbs up our asses, re-electing the same evil principals that are fucking shit up in the first place. But because we inwardly want to believe our country is so goddamned 'goody-two-shoes' we don't think Uncle Same is capable of supporting such savagery.

Think again. Think about 30 million Native Americans who practically vanished over a period of seven generations, 80 million Africans finding death on the Middle Passage and through terrorist practices after settling (as chattel) in this land during much of the same time period; think about 100,000 citizens of Hiroshima baking in a nuclear furnace, think about the George Bush Sr.-led CIA opening our borders to massive cocaine smuggling and skimming of the top to support war in Central America, think about 400 Black men at an Alabama hospital being deliberately untreated for a deadly venereal disease so doctors could observe what the hell happens.

Danger! Frustration Overload Level is Approaching!

Fuck that border bullshit being used as an excuse to advance the Police State principle. Fuck thinking widespread use of video technology in one area won't eventually crush privacy principles in another area. Fuck George W. Goddamned Bush and the ugly hag that bore him and the ferret faced fucker that fathered him. And if you want to believe you're a goddamned Goodie-Two-Shoes in a land of unblemished foot apparel? THEN FUCK YOU, TOO, BEACUSE YOU'RE PART OF THE GODDAMNED PROBLEM!

Sorry, my temper is overcoming my articulation, so I leave you with a poem I wrote last year, while thinking along these same lines, but in a more serene state of mind:

NO RIPPLE

Outside rages a violent storm; it seems no place is safe and warm
Inside is the Universe - Space without space, Form without form
Rant and rave as you will; plunder lie rape and kill
No Ripple disturbs the pool within. My Soul is calm and still

All around is Chaos, dark and insane, sharp hail stones and windswept rain
Inside is the eye of the hurricane; Third Eye peering through the mind’s windowpane
Found here is perfection, cosmic song; harmonic vibration, clear and strong
Time means nothing. A second last ten thousand years long

Earthly powers profit on projecting mass confusion
Each day it’s harder to tell the real from the illusion
Judgment day will come in fire, as bombs blast and tanks roll
But invincible stands my spirit and no ripple troubles my soul

By Jahaka Mindstorm
© 2005 All Rights Reserved

And finally this: Every time somebody fucks with you on a high level (maybe so high you can't even see it), it gives the green light for those at lower levels to fuck with you as well.

Let me know when you're tired of being fucked over and maybe something can be done about it. Meanwhile, don't sit on that thumb too hard. You may find a use for it one day.

posted by JahStorm @ 9:52 AM Your Thoughts?: 0

From Out of the Blue - Part II

• Did you miss Part I?

“Truth-Sayers Guild” read the sign at the bottom of the huge mountain. “No flying for wingspans exceeding 7 feet!” read a smaller, newer sign below it. Jah’Draco shrugged his huge pinions. He would have to walk and there was nothing to do about it.

As he plodded up the steep incline, occasionally using his forelimbs to grasp the rocky surface for balance, Jah’Draco saw the reason for the prohibition against larger fliers. Thousands – no, tens of thousands – of smaller creatures winged to and fro in what appeared to be random movement, but apparently was a very structured pattern. Pixies and pigeons, herons and hawks; and even an occasional griffin, either very young or very dwarfish, circled the mountain from every direction.

Fly Right Mountain was the administrative center for the entire kingdom. It was enormous and, at its summit, resembled a collection of a hundred castles connected to and stacked atop one another. The styles of those connected castles were as different as the various species within the kingdom. Every creature had the right of representation and every representative had a right to reasonable comfort.

Jah’Draco struggled to collect his thoughts as he ascended the mountain. He still had no idea who from Glass Eerie had made the terrible accusation that Jah’Draco had used his flame on an eagle egg, but he was determined to get to the bottom of it. He had carefully written down all he could remember about the incident and he had the scroll in a wooden tube, secured with a leather strap around his neck.

“May I help you?” The question caught the young dragon by surprise. He raised his massive head and saw an old crane with spectacles, impossibly peering down at the towering Jah’Draco. How could a creature look down on someone who stood at least 8 feet taller?

“Um, I hope so,” said Jah’Draco, as he suppressed a nervous blast of smoke that threatened to escape his scaly nostrils. “I’m looking for the Office of Grievance and Redress. Could you please tell me how to find it?”

“Do you know which division?” Jah’Draco shook his head, and this time a smoke blast did slip free. It was extremely embarrassing. But the formerly white-feathered crane did an admirable job pretending he was not covered with soot, black as a raven. Jah’Draco wanted to hide in a cave, but this place didn’t look like it had any caves lying around. Maybe hidden castles, but not caves.

“You need to go up two more levels and follow the corridor on the right.” Then the crane frowned further, if that was possible. “Also, there is a trading post on the next level up where brimstone is available.” It was widely known that sucking brimstone would help soothe the itchy glands in the jaws of dragon kind. In stressful situations, those glands could swell up erupt in spontaneous combustion. (That's why dragons are so popular at barbecues, but they are never invited to parties where there are ice sculptures.)

Fortunately, there were few occasions where this spontaneous combustion occurred, as there were few reasons for dragons to be nervous. One needed powerful magic and/or enchanted weapons to create an environment to unnerve a dragon. Usually, when napalm flowed from a dragon's jaws it was because he was pissed, not nervous. Contrary to the stoic performance of the clerical crane, it was difficult to stand in the shadow of Jah’Draco without feeling some level of intimidation. The young dragon was aware of this trait, but he didn’t like it.

He stopped by the trading post, run by a very talkative penguin in a conservative black and white suit that the penguin nvertheless somehow made look gaudy. “Hey, fellow, we also have some anti-itch poultices,” he said suggestively. “When are you due to start molting?”

Jah’Draco couldn’t believe how casually the penguin asked such a personal question! The young dragon abruptly turned and left the trading post, but not before another nervous blast of smoke turned the penguin's suit all black. The chubby avian was not nearly as complacent as had been the crane, and his indignant howls followed the Jah’Draco as he continued on his way. Soon he came to a door marked “Office of Grievance and Redress.”

Entering the massive chamber, he noted that the dominant feature as a huge desk, atop which was perched a snowy white bird who, with his beak tucked just under the right wing, appeared to be dozing. Jah’Draco spoke hesitantly: “Uh, hello?”

“Jufu Whooo,” the bird said, never moving his head.

“Me? Oh, I’m Jah’Draco,” said the dragon. "I’m here to –“

“I know whooo yooo are,” the owl said testily. Jah’Draco now recognized it as an owl because the creature had finally lifted his beak. Now the dragon could see clearly the distinct markings around the eyes and the tufted feathers at the side of the bird's head. “I was giving yoo the courtesy my name – Jufu Whooo. The reason I already know whooo yooo are is that a pixie was sent in advance of yooo not long after yooo coated our unfortunate reception crane with sulfuric ash.”

If green were redder, Jah’Draco would have blushed. As it was, he barely suppressed another ashy belch. “Uh, I’m terribly sorry about that – "

“No need for remorse,” the owl said. “We are quite clearly busy and I need tooo know your desire.”

“My desire?” Now the dragon was really confused.

“Indeed. Yooo feel yooo were unfairly treated, but what dooo yooo desire us tooo dooo?” The owl peered so intently now that Jah’Draco felt he was looking at something on the other side of him, and the dragon nearly turned about to investigate.

“Well, I uh – “ Jah'Draco suddenly stood taller and puffed his chest out. “I want the truth to be known, of course. And I want whoever told the lie to be reprimanded, and I want my access to the Hill Mountains restored.” His chest deflated. “But I don’t know what I need to do."

“Indeed,” the owl agreed. “A tribunal will be set tooo review-oo your circumstances. Have yooo any documentation?” The dragon removed the scroll from around his thick neck and placed it on the desk, right below the T-shaped stand upon which the owl perched. “Good. We will review-oo this and notify yoo when yoo should return. The trib-yooo-nal will consist of one of your peers from Hill Mountains, one of our Fly Right clerics and a third party, as yet tooo be determined.

“Yooo are encouraged tooo attend and, if no other means are available, we will conference yooo in through the Crystal Ball Network. Do yooo have access to a Ball?” Jah’Draco nodded his head and the owl continued.

“Excellent. There are three possible outcomes of this trib-yooo-nal. One: The decision tooo banish yooo from the eerie will be validated and the exile remains in effect. Tooo: The decision will be overturned and yooo will be reinstated tooo your previous position.” The owl paused, and for a moment, seemed as if he might drop back off to sleep.

“What is the third possible outcome?” Jah’Draco finally asked.

“Ooooh, the Third.” Jufu blinked in surprise. “Well, that never happens. But, okay - Three: the trib-yooo-nal may be unable to determine whether or not there was unfairness.”

“And then what?”

“Oh, well the matter it is turned over tooo one of the Magi.”

“Which one?”

“The one in charge of the Hill Mountain complex,” Jufu replied. “Magi D’Ranis.” Jah’Draco frowned. He knew of this magus and he suspected that D’Ranis could have found the truth, if he wanted to, long before matters had come to this complicated length.

“Is there anything else I need to know?”

“Just try tooo remain available for the next week or so. A pigeon or sprite will summon yooo when the trib-yooo-nal convenes.” The Jufu’s beak disappeared beneath his pinion again.

With the audience clearly at an end, Jah’Draco turned and retraced his steps out of the complex and down the mountain. He wasn’t happy that the ultimate authority could be a magus that should have been on top of things from the beginning, but there was nothing to be done for now.

If Truth did not emerge through this process, there were still other avenues to take. Besides, there were owls a lot cooler than Jufu had demonstrated himself to be. Night owls, barnyard owls - owls that really knew how to give a hoot.

Tribunal time soon enough, but now it was time to party!
.

posted by JahStorm @ 9:06 PM Your Thoughts?: 2

Happy Mother's Day (& A POEM)

posted by JahStorm @ 8:00 AM Your Thoughts?: 0

Quantum Queerness

Yeaaaah, baby! Nothing like some Quantum Physics to get you going in the morning. Researchers at the University of Rochester believe they may have found a way to get light to travel faster than its accepted speed of 186k miles/sec.

How do you do it? Well... apparently you set the light waves pulsing in a reverse direction. (Reverse Direction??? WTF???) Okay, to be honest, I can only wrap my brain around it to a very limited degree, but that's the nature of Q-Phizz, baby, and I'm a blissful, albeit moderately ignorant (8-{/)> , quantum physics junkie. So... if you're ready for the cognitive gymnastics, grab a couple aspirin and read on....
.

posted by JahStorm @ 9:00 AM Your Thoughts?: 2

Something 'Different' - A POEM

Well, I said I'd probably put some poetry up here sooner or later and it looks like it's 'sooner'. I dreamt this last night, just finished writing it, and felt it needed to be shared.

posted by JahStorm @ 8:17 AM Your Thoughts?: 2

Tweaks and turnings...

As the new template for this blog becomes more familiar to me, I am comfortable making a few changes. Now it really feels like more of a 'home.'

Just about all changes were made in the navbar. I got rid of the goofy font headers over "Profile" and "Archives" the rest in favor of rectangle lables I put together in photoshop. I found this font with a hand-scripted look that I thought blended nicely with the overall theme of the page.

Then I added a few links I thought were pretty cool, including several new blogs, and I placed a couple pictures and some cover art beneath the Madam Blavatsky. Now, I think it's Miller Time (or rather Bud, since I don't drink camel piss.)

Just a few tweaks and turnings. Will it mean more writing from me? Oh I don't know, but if you like the look, please feel free to come back and see. I think I'll be putting poetry up here sooner or later...

:-)

posted by JahStorm @ 12:19 AM Your Thoughts?: 0

Sag Forecast 5/10/06

Quickie: You know what needs to be done, so you need to do it today -- the sooner the better.
Overview: It's time to stop, look and listen. Inquire about the thoughts of someone who might be feeling railroaded by recent events. Not only will they appreciate your consideration, but also you might learn something pretty useful.
Daily extended (by Astrology.com)
Everything is easy as pie today, and it will be smooth sailing as long as you put an end to your procrastination! If you can, battle the boring stuff (chores, errands, bill paying) right at the start of the day. Don't leave tasks undone. Once you get things done, you'll be free to enjoy the carefree nature of the rest of the day. Focus on fun stuff and avoid any conflicts or boundary pushing. Splurge on a spontaneous purchase that leaves you smiling again and again.

This kind of forecast only makes me stop and wonder "What the -? Why do I bother?"

Yet, as often as they miss by a mile, these quaint little bubbles of what might be strike eerily close to the mark. So, for that reason, I'll take the bite and put the ponder on this one.

I know what must be done... the sooner the better...
Hmmm... technically speaking, I am procrastinating on something that might be rather important. It's a legal issue... but I really don't want to 'rock the boat' just yet... I'll definitely have to meditate on that one.

Inquire about the thoughts of someone who might be feeling railroaded by recent events... they will appreciate... you might learn something pretty useful...
I think I've done a good job not letting internal anger make me blind and deaf to those around me, but I can't say I've noticed anyone in my circle (exception self) who feels "railroaded by recent events." So, what happens here? I listen to myself(?), show appreciation and learn from the process? Yep. Sounds like meditation to me.

The Daily Extended is even more confusing...
...put an end to your procrastination...
Clearly, someone has confused today with yesterday. Unless, again, we focus on the legal thing.
Focus on fun stuff... avoid conflicts or boundary pushing
What's that all about? I've been avoiding people, mate.

Splurge on a spontaneous purchase that leaves you smiling again and gain.
I believe the chat term for how this left me is: ROFLMMFAO. Translation? "Rolling On Floor Laughing My MotherFucking Ass Off."

There you go. If these forecasts are good for nothing else, it's a new way to get the joke of the day.

posted by JahStorm @ 9:07 AM Your Thoughts?: 1

Simply Amazing

Couldn't sleep last night - felt compelled to work. I mean really compelled, and ultimately I wrote and posted two articles, updated my web site and email addresses, scanned and formated about two dozen images and read four chapters of a novel. The sun was rising just as I was setting.

(Now understand why I'm feeling so tired.)

Well, I thought I'd check my email before rolling over for forty winks when ... well I'll be dipped in sheepshit and rolled in Charmin! Teresa finally sent the pictures she took of BJ during her visit here with my youngest son. Well, let's see what we've got:

Isn't it amazing how pictures can almost transport you right back to the moment? I love that shit, man!

Jon-Jon was crazy about his nephew from first sight. Couldnt stay away from him, wanted to keep him in his arms. Bless his heart - he even wanted to carry my grandson, although that was certainly not allowed. Good intentions or not, the rule is safety first, of course.

Basketball playoffs were on, so we guys got to watch TV while the ladies went shopping. It was really cool. I was reorganizing the poetry in my performance book and my older sons were heavy into the game. Jon-Jon just kept staring at his tiny nephew in amazement. (For his part, BJ was trying to eat anything that came within a foot of his mouth.)

Yep, a typical non-working (Good Friday) afternoon for three generations of American Males. The added spice was being able to see my son in the role of father (while still retaining uber-paternal veto power - did I mention this grandparenting thing is really fun?) Naturally, yours truly got a little time in with the Little Prince too. It could be no other way and you can refer back to the uber-parent statement if you so need.

Later that evening was the open mic at Julius Cafe and I was delighted when Brandon brought the crew down for the show. I knew I had another performance the following day and Jon-Jon was going back to Brooklyn Easter Sunday, before I got off of work and I wasn't sure I'd see him again before their departure. (He and his mom actually stayed until late Sunday night, so I got to see my 5-year-old one last time and even to have dinner with him before he left.)

Ya know, that little pileup of humanity represents some of the most important people in the world to me. The photo itself puts many lesser things in perspective, and at a much-needed time. Sometimes life is simply overwhelming. Other times it's simply amazing.

Now we got 17-year-old Lindsay graduating from Lawrence High School in Indianapolis in two weeks. Naturally, Dad plans to be there to support and honor her.

Can you say: "Road Trip!"?

posted by JahStorm @ 10:41 PM Your Thoughts?: 1

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

Guess I didn't want to get left out of what appears to be a slew of bloggers shedding old skins for new ones. In my case, it seemed particularly apropos since I'm like shedding a whole damned career or something. And finding a snugger fit in a new one.

(Props to TJ for pointing me to the skin I settled on, after making a few minor modifications to the template. I put the screenshot to the right there for that perspective within a perspective, like when you hold a small mirror right under your chin, while standing in front of a larger mirror. [Everyone has done that, right?] Overall, the inset gives me a 'fuller feel' for this skin's appearance.)

The new skin doesn't permit quite the same level of control I enjoyed with the previous template, or maybe I just got really used to the latter after modifying it so much. Not all that in love with this new one yet either, (It feels so dry) but it will either grow on me or I'll do some more modifications to change the flavor of the background image, give it more "warmth"

But for now, the look is new and different and maybe friends' feedback will say it's a better look than I'm crediting it (the last one was rather Spartan.) On other notes, the open mic went great, minus a little ego problem between a couple of the 'band' members; people are showing love for JD, my new pet dragon; my winter fat is melting off very satisfyingly and the lilacs are smelling absolutely divine.

Somebody tell me again why I'm supposed to be in a shitty mood? I keep forgetting... Must be all these ch-ch-ch-ch-changes...

posted by JahStorm @ 2:16 AM Your Thoughts?: 4

Organize, Prioritize and Follow Through!

That was the advice I gave newly recruited mangers at a tiny startup company in 1997 (a little more grownup since then) when they complained to me that their duties overwhelmed them. The Bull Run was in full bloom, business was booming and all of us worked super-human hours to make sure we kept pace in the Rat Race.

Look guys, this may seem like rocket science, but it's not. You'll always be ahead of the game (or at least keep pace with the pack) if you first organize, then prioritize, then follow through on your obligations. The ability to multi-task can't be under-emphasized, either.

Ironically, I now have a lot more sympathy for Glinnesa, Mark and Veronica and the challenges they faced trying to learn new jobs concurrently with recruiting, training and managing other new employees. As often as I gave them good advice, I gave them the curt brush off. I had not only a team but a whole damn department to recruit, train and manage. Not only that, but I was a director, so the stakes were a lot higher for me and the flames would burn hotter should it come my turn to roast.

But we were well paid and the Rat Race was what we did.

I'd like to think I've retired from that whole 'keeping up with the Jones' thing, but I still have my own dreams and goals. Toward their eventual attainment, I work just as hard - or harder! - than I ever did for the pinstriped suits and ugly ties on Wall Street. I just wish I could feel more organized, have a better idea of my priorities and followed through on my commitments with more consistency than appears to be the case right now.

Then again, the entertainment industry in the new millenium is a lot newer to me than technology was last century. So I'm green, not as confident as I'd like to be, wary of making costly mistakes that could impede hard-won momentum..

I'm sitting here looking at a "Daily Hustle" white dry erase board I set up above my monitor two days ago to help me track on-going tasks and projects. So far there are no changes to this list except three items that have been checked off. I have no problem celebrating 25% projects completed, but there's that part of me that wonders why isn't it 100% yet? Could I have worked smarter and gotten more done? Have I procrastinated too much? (I don't see when!) Most importantly - am I addressing key objectives with an intelligent degree of prioritization?

That's where not knowing the industry kicks me in the ass. What should I do first, update the Web Site or send out a bunch of emails to promote upcoming events? How about working on projects for my partners, or even my own publishing projects?

Yesterday, I spent most of the morning hammering together a sign that promotes our open mic spot (and Randy is a saint to have helped the way he did!) but I really wanted to spend that time sketching or writing poetry. It didn't happen then and it's not likely to happen today.

Not sure if this whole post is a rant or just an attempt to process with myself; to embrace the idea that my current rate of progress is okay, and yet acknowledge that I wish it was a lot faster. And it will be, once I get a little better at this new game I've joined.

Once I relearn to Organize, Prioritize and Follow Through!

posted by JahStorm @ 11:00 AM Your Thoughts?: 2

From Out of the Blue - Part I

There once was a dragon - Jah'Draco -who worked in nest care, raising little eagles at a place called Glass Eerie. Jah'Draco wasn't the only avian working with the eaglets; there were quite a few others. Some of them were buzzards, but there were also a few cranes, a few hawks and maybe a condor or two. But Jah'Draco was the only dragon working at the eerie and he was keenly aware of his difference.

In time, the leader of the eaglet's nest moved to a higher perch and a new bird was brought in. Jah'Draco, a senior member of the eerie, was on the tribunal that was tasked with naming the new avian chief. Other birds admired the shiny scales on Jah'Draco and the way he would use his mighty roar, combined with a judicious burst of smoke (Jah'Draco was careful to never use his flames) to keep the little eaglets safe and focused on growing up into big, beautiful eagles.

The tribunal only debated a short time over the selection of the new chief bird. Not nearly as long as they should have, and eventually settled on a rather plump, burly albatross named Jon'Jiggle. Initially, Jon'Jiggle was content to see how the eerie ran itself. (It had the reputation for being the smoothest, safest eerie in all the Hill Mountain range.) However, in time, Jon'Jiggle began to make changes.

The other birds caring for the eaglets were alarmed at those changes, which didn't always seem to be for the good of the nest and Jon'Jiggle was soon a resented bird. The hawks and condors avoided the albatross, but the buzzards stayed near him because they sensed there would soon be feasting. The cranes were silent.

In short time, Jon'Jiggle came to resent Jah'Draco. He told one of the condors that Jah'Draco was derisive toward Jon'Jiggle, but that wasn't true. The dragon merely laughed sometimes when other birds ridiculed the burly albatross. Even the eaglets made fun of the ungainly avain and showed him very little respect.

Jah'Draco was heavily involved with activities not connected to the eerie at all. He had taken to hanging out with Pegasus and the F-14s at Owl joints and had garnered a reputation as leader of the party. Eventually, he complained to Jon'Jiggle that his obligations to the eerie had a negative effect on his time in the Owl joints and he wanted Jon'Jiggle to help Jah'Draco juggle the dragon's schedule to accommodate his extracurricular interests.

But Jon'Jiggle was not-so-secretly envious of Jah'Draco and he thwarted the ambitious dragon at every turn. One day, an anonymous bird (many suspected it was Jon'Jiggle himself) made an accusation that Jah'Drago had used his flame on one of the little eaglets.

Quicker than you could say "liar, liar, pants on fire!" a conclave of executive eagles was called in to strip Jah'Draco of all rank and honors, denounce his name and have him forever banned from the Hill Mountain range.

Jah'Draco was stunned. The unjustice of the situation was overwhelming and the knowledge that one of the other birds, even if it was Jon'Jiggle, had borne false witness against, him was very painful. The buzzards, craness, hawks, and even the condors of Glass Eerie all shunned Jah'Draco. They pretended he no longer existed.

Jah'Draco had an old friend however, Sah'Draco who listened carefully to what happened and said he was astounded that Jah'Draco did not see the key to proving Jon'Jiggle had lied on him. Jah'Draco was puzzled. "What do you mean sir?" he asked. The elder dragon laughed, and started pointing out the glaring inconsistencies and illogical allegations one by one.

Encouraged for the first time in seemingly ages, Jah'Draco thanked Sah'Draco and then he took to the skies with one powerful push from his pinions. He was in search of the Wise Owl ally he knew was able to come to Jah'Draco's aid and help to clear the young dragon's name.

On the plains and foothills that bordered the Hill Mountain Range, animals big and small took flight as the meancing shadow of Jah'Draco slid across the landscape below him. But the dragon was not hunting this day, not for ground game anyway. As he beat his wings steadily toward the horizon, Jah'Draco was mentally preparing to dance with the eagles.

(to be continued...)

posted by JahStorm @ 6:16 PM Your Thoughts?: 1