Journal

Freelance Camp Houston!

Venue: Houston Technology Center

Date: April 11th, 2009

Time: 10 am to 4 pm

Cost: Donate (or Free if you are really broke)

Register: http://freelancecamp.eventbrite.com

Freelance Camp is a place to discuss and explore the different approaches to running a successful freelance business / small service company. The Houston camp is FREE to attend thanks to some very cool sponsors.  So come ready to learn, and if you’re up for it, sign up to give a talk the day of the camp!

Thanks to our sponsors:

Werkadoo, The Houston Technology Center, Caroline Collective, Powered Production, Laundry Tree, Coffee Groundz, InHouston, Saint Arnold, Blellow, Advantj Media, Angelos Pizza, Houston Networking News, BMeyer Bookkeeping, Diosana Group, and Carl Pipes Inc.

Be sure to come to the after-party and Werkadoo Launch Celebration right after the camp! Join us at Caroline Collective for free beer, food, and music! The party starts at 5pm and ends when all the kegs are tapped. See you there!

Caroline Collective
4820 Caroline St.
Houston, TX 77004

Thanks to the support of Bridgette Penel, Debra Robinson, and Travis Skweres from Werkadoo, Marc Nathan of the HTC, Shane Pearlman, Louis Sandoval Jr., Brad Parler, and a lot of other folks, this event is going to be a huge success!

A special thanks to the freelancecamp.org team for the use of the brand and for all the advice and support.

If you are a photographer and live in Katy, Texas, (or anywhere else if interested) you are most welcome to join a small group of like-minded people. We’ll discuss anything/everything you want in regards to photogs, cameras, etc. The idea is to have an open environment and conversations. Highly informal, very beneficial. Who knows but maybe we can turn this into a frequent event. At any rate, the Mojo and WonderWife will be there. Just look for two people with cameras and a laptop out.

If you are interested, leave a comment or shoot me an instant message to mojodenbow

The details:

Baker Street Pub

drinks, food, free wifi, good seating in or out!

Monday, April 13, 7PM to ?

23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd (In La Centerra shopping district)

Katy 77494

http://www.sherlockspubco.com/Main.aspx

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

I haven’t been a fan of baseball since I stopped playing it back in the 6th grade. I’d cheer on the Yankees because there was no professional team close by when growing up unless you count the Texas Rangers. Ugh. Now that I live in a huge metroplex that has 4 pro teams, I’m going to catch a couple games and support them!

Monday was the Houston Astros opening day and I was able to cover the event from the field and press box. Thanks to Sally Gunter for making this possible.

Minute Maid park’s 10th anniversary helped add to the festivities of Opening Day as did retired Astros Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio. Lyle Lovett sang the Star Spangled Banner just as he did ten years ago.

The Astros were hoping to recover from a devastating loss last season that helped eliminate them from the playoffs. After hurricane Ike struck Houston, much of the area was without power and so the game was moved to Milwaukee as a “home” game against the Chicago Cubs. Guess who came to dinner last night? Yes, the hated Cubbies.

The hopes of avenging that loss died quickly. With only the second pitch of the game, the Cub’s Soriano hit a homerun to Center field. It took 7 innings for Houston to get on the board. The final score was 4-2.

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

Like many iPod Touch/iPhone owners, I love the third party applications that companies and developers create to enhance it’s functionality. I thought I would offer a peek inside my apps in hopes that you may see something you like and would need. Also, if you have apps that you think we’d be interested don’t bogart them….share in the comments!

• Skype– Make calls, send SMS, chat for free (wifi networks only)
• Evernote– sync your voice, text, images, pdf files and more
• Twitterific- Tweet and retweet with your followers
• Fring– all of the most used instant messengers in one client
• Brightkite– geo-location tool to let your contacts know where you are
• Waken Shaken (alarm clock)- I like the soft green glow and nature sounds
• Freshbooks– Invaluable invoice, time-tracking tool for client work
• Box.net– web storage for all your files needing to be shared
• Soonr- connect/sync with your computer’s files
• At Bat- baseball season is here, time to keep track of your team!

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

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!