Chris

My DNA soup is heavy on optimism and trust but lately it doesn’t seem to be enough. The situations we are facing as a country will affect almost everybody except those responsible for them. My family is no different.

Ups and Downs

Two years ago, I was laid off from a job I excelled at. A week later, after eleven years of marriage, we discovered we were going to have our first child. Shortly after that, I secured another job. Two weeks before our daughter was born, I was on the cut list again. I managed to transfer within and get a promotion for another year until the pink slip was handed out. At this point, the trust had been broken.

Optimism and a new hope led us out of Alabama and into Texas. Houston was recently ranked as the #1 place to live and we were going to take advantage of it. Having family here was a major plus too. After wrapping up a contract job in December, I have been getting a few checks for my photography with portraits and event shoots. A direct hire and steady paycheck has been elusive. The optimism is waning. Unemployment rate has been reported as 8.5% and 6 million jobs lost since December. This is devastating.

Reality

Reality says with no income, things have to change. Reality says you cannot afford to pay a mortgage on an empty house in Birmingham Alabama for the past 8 months and rent at the same time in Texas. Reality also says that things are going to get tight when your savings is dwindling to scary levels.

Reality bites.

Hope Is Audacious, You Betcha

Like the image above illustrates, when things are dark and foreboding, there is usually a ray of sunshine and some hope. I’m staring long and hard to find that light right now. I want my optimism and trust back, please.

* This is a blog post from Mojo Denbow For more content like this, subscribe to the RSS feed, Twitter & Disqus

These are just a few tools of the trade. The iPod Touch and Moleskine journals.

Me: I wish I could draw…or paint.

Wonderwife: There’s drawing a blank…that happens quite a bit.

Of course I drew a blank and couldn’t respond.

Owned.

They say that the best way to get where you are going is to look to see where you came from. How true this is of ourselves, the economy, our humble servants in Washington D.C. and just about everything else? Ask yourself if your mind is stuck in the past or looking ahead towards the future.

Another option could be that you are afraid to look either way and that fear is causing you to stagnate here in the present.

It may be time to sit down and map your way to the goals you want to get to. Go ahead and put down where you are coming from, where you are now and the destination. It is okay to list some of the roadblocks, speed bumps and potholes as long as you find a way around these.

Another saying is that the journey is the thing, not the destination. So put the top down, crank up the tunes and put a smile on your face as you are getting there. Wherever “there” is.

This is a blog post from Mojo Denbow For more content like this, subscribe to the RSS feed, Twitter & Disqus

Katy, Texas

"I’ve had enough of singing this here blues…now I got nothin’…nothin left to lose"

 
What Have I Got To Lose? from Mojo Denbow on Vimeo.

Little DVDenbow loves dancing to this song as seen on “Jack’s Big Music Show”. I love the message and the swing music of course.

Near the old KT rail line in Katy, Texas

I wanted a dramatic black and white feel for these images. What do you think?

I discovered a Flickr Group recently called “Listening To Music With Headphones On”. Catchy, ain’t it? While the title is lacking, the group’s photos show emotion and passion for their headphones. We have to wonder what audio adrenaline they are enjoying.

I’d love to see what your eardrums are wearing and what you are listening to!

Can I tell you how glad I am that the Battlestar Galactica series has reached it’s conclusion? Now if only ABC’s Lost would hurry up and have a point to the whole story I can write that off as well. As an adult I really never watched television until these two episodes came on and friends suggested it. I had missed their first seasons and played catch-up thanks to Netflix’s DVD subscription.

Growing up I was a big reader. My imagination combined with the author’s story are much more powerful and rewarding than television. I’ll confess my book and other print reading has suffered thanks to the internet. Blogs and news sites have filled that time instead. Like a book, the Web has no boundaries and I consume it. The difference with the internet is that I am a contributor.

I have just cancelled my subscription to Direct TV and to Netflix without remorse. With network television providing full content in HD online, what is the point? With the technology we have in outlets such as Hulu, Boxee, Apple TV, Windows Media Center, why bother? I need to mention the legion of podcasts out there as well. Speaking of Hulu, here is a clip of their ad wherein Alec Baldwin sarcastically asks: “what are you going to do, turn off your TV AND your computer?”

Yes, I will not let my brains turn into mush.

Don’t get me wrong, television has been a powerful and informative tool since it’s inception and I am not trying to be negative. Just simply saying I am over it. This is the Mojo and I am signing off.

There will always be people who conform to an environment or transform it. Do you fit in or stand out? Is this a position you enjoy or do you want to be that other person instead?

If you want to stand out, don’t be different. Be outstanding.

Have you ever had too much going on and felt like you had too little control about it? I’m there.

Good luck today, it is Friday the 13th!