That evening I was invited to Nan's Piano Bar in downtown Davenport, Iowa. I had the rare opportunity to listen to (and meet!) local jazz legend Manny Lopez. He's on the trumpet.
I will try to get a video up soon.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Best Day Ever!
Yesterday I found out that one of my short stories, "Dark Matter", will be published in the next edition of Foliate Oak, the literary magazine of the University of Arkansas at Monticello. This is a pretty big deal, as that will be my first published work.
That evening I was invited to Nan's Piano Bar in downtown Davenport, Iowa. I had the rare opportunity to listen to (and meet!) local jazz legend Manny Lopez. He's on the trumpet.
That evening I was invited to Nan's Piano Bar in downtown Davenport, Iowa. I had the rare opportunity to listen to (and meet!) local jazz legend Manny Lopez. He's on the trumpet.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
2009: So Far
Back in December I proposed we all “press the reset button” and start anew at the advent of the new year. I proposed we make this the best year we possibly can and certainly strive to make it better than 2008. I made no secret of the fact that 2008 was not my best year ever, for a variety of reasons, so making 2009 better wouldn’t be all that hard a task... at least not in my case.
So how are we doing?
I would have to say that I’m doing quite well. It turns out that I’m made of much sterner stuff than I had imagined. I faced one challenge that I honestly thought would turn me into a piece of human flotsam and pretty well conquered it. All it took was some heaping doses of emotional control and positive psychology.
So yes, I’ve been mindful of and taken control of my attitude. I’ve learned the lessons I needed to from my mistakes and setbacks. There’s no doubt I’m on the right path, it’s merely a question of how long that path is and what’s at the other end. Ultimately I’ve wrested back control of my life from the emotional ups and downs and negativity of myself and others. Simply put, I’m starting to win.
I should probably also address one other blog post, the one entitled “Good Guys and Bad Guys”.
I was talking to a friend of mine, bemoaning the fact that the “bad guys” in my life seemed to be winning. She reminded me that they don’t win in the long-term. Turns out she really was right after all.
One of these bad guys I was alluding to recently had his ass handed to him in such a severe, spectacular fashion that even I feel sorry for him (and given the circumstances, that’s really saying something). As a matter of fact, all the individuals I referenced have since experienced some sort of metaphorical beatdown. I may not yet have the vindication that I want or need, but I can at least have some sort of satisfaction that the universe is starting to right itself somewhat.
One final note: I’m sorry that I have to address these situations in such an oblique fashion, but I do have to be mindful of privacy issues, both on behalf of myself and others. However, I think it’s important to demonstrate that bad situations can right themselves and that we can put ourselves on a more positive path, both with just a little effort.
So how are we doing?
I would have to say that I’m doing quite well. It turns out that I’m made of much sterner stuff than I had imagined. I faced one challenge that I honestly thought would turn me into a piece of human flotsam and pretty well conquered it. All it took was some heaping doses of emotional control and positive psychology.
So yes, I’ve been mindful of and taken control of my attitude. I’ve learned the lessons I needed to from my mistakes and setbacks. There’s no doubt I’m on the right path, it’s merely a question of how long that path is and what’s at the other end. Ultimately I’ve wrested back control of my life from the emotional ups and downs and negativity of myself and others. Simply put, I’m starting to win.
I should probably also address one other blog post, the one entitled “Good Guys and Bad Guys”.
I was talking to a friend of mine, bemoaning the fact that the “bad guys” in my life seemed to be winning. She reminded me that they don’t win in the long-term. Turns out she really was right after all.
One of these bad guys I was alluding to recently had his ass handed to him in such a severe, spectacular fashion that even I feel sorry for him (and given the circumstances, that’s really saying something). As a matter of fact, all the individuals I referenced have since experienced some sort of metaphorical beatdown. I may not yet have the vindication that I want or need, but I can at least have some sort of satisfaction that the universe is starting to right itself somewhat.
One final note: I’m sorry that I have to address these situations in such an oblique fashion, but I do have to be mindful of privacy issues, both on behalf of myself and others. However, I think it’s important to demonstrate that bad situations can right themselves and that we can put ourselves on a more positive path, both with just a little effort.
Monday, February 2, 2009
I Am So Web 2.0...
I'm all over the place. I just got on the Facebook bandwagon...
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?id=1397110925&ref=name
I've been on MySpace for some time...
http://www.myspace.com/jimmoens
And of course there's LinkedIn...
http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=1166828&trk=tab_pro
Am I missing anything?
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?id=1397110925&ref=name
I've been on MySpace for some time...
http://www.myspace.com/jimmoens
And of course there's LinkedIn...
http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=1166828&trk=tab_pro
Am I missing anything?
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