Espresso Shot of Inspiration

    It has been a while since I have taken the time to write anything and that is mainly because I have felt like I have had nothing to share and so much draining me that writing has taken a back burner. Today, I read an article that bothered me. It stated:

    “Because the CIFC (coffee is for closers) principle can come off as harsh and negative, today’s parents and educators have neglected to alert their children and/or students that it is still the core of every business.  They’ve instead chosen to advise them to “follow their dreams,” “find a job they love,” and “do only that which makes them happy.”… Thinking they’ve set young people on a journey towards career happiness, what these well-intending adults have actually done is send millions of young people into the workforce with the misguided perception that they are entitled to their “coffee” simply by virtue of getting hired and reporting to a job.”

    Now I know what you are thinking, “Damn Jim, normally you post uplifting and positive things in hopes of inspiring the world.” Well hold your damn horses there Mr(s). Negativity, pump the fucking breaks because the magic is coming!

    I agree that nothing is entitled in a job and takes work but I dis-agree with the “misguided perception” that we should just work to live outside of work. This has been a real struggle for me lately and I had lost that passion to do what I love with hopes of turning it into something more than a hobby, but last night someone struck a chord and reminded me of what my mission had been for the past 8 months.

    Last night I was present for the release party for West Albaladejo’s newest CD and managed to get my hands on a copy (which I now owe West $5.00 for) titled “Feeding Time.” I am not the kind of person who writes about music all willy-nilly because for me to put an honest stamp of approval on a song or album it has to stir up an emotion inside of me and create pictures in my mind and this is exactly what West has accomplished with “Feeding Time.” It is an album that reminds me that no matter what happens, “life is not half bad.” Listening to this masterpiece of moving words and melodies creates a magical menagerie of memories and mesmerizing moving pictures in my mind that make me want to sit down and write a script that his music could be the soundtrack to. I have been unable to decide on which track has been my favorite thus far because a track like “Not ½ Bad” inspires me to play it for my hypothetical children that I hope one day exist when I put them down for the night where as “Chili Dogs and Cigarettes” make me want to wander down memory lane and just think about everything I have seen in this life and the people I have shared the world with.

    I can defiantly say that without a doubt this entire album and the work West put into it inspire me to work towards those passions in my life that I love and make me happy, the kind that make me say fuck your coffee because every day is filled with passion and brings on a new adventure. I advise anyone who feels lost in the day to day or even just loves good tunes to check out West Albaladejo’s “Feeding Time" and see if it inspires you to go after those passions in life!

 

For more information about West Albaladejo check out www.facebook.com/westaa

For information about other local acts or just some down to earth entertainment check out www.zaboysmedia.com

photos "courtesy" of West Albaladejo (sorry for snatching them off FB but I didn't have any to use)

To read the rest of the "coffee is for closers" article follow the link below and witness how easy it is to cut peoples words from something and twist them around for your own use.

http://www.revivingworkethic.com/coffee-for-closers-in-2013/

The History of: Me

    It has been roughly a month or so since I have posted a blog and there are a few reasons for that. I have been busy with the daily grind and focusing on a few new things but tonight I wanted to take some time to write an entry that I have been meaning to write for some time.

    When I was a junior in Highschool I joined the school newspaper and that is one of the key moments in my life where I realized that I really enjoyed writing. There was another key factor much earlier in life before this but I will write about that another time. Recently I was cleaning out my house and I stumbled across the self-summary I had to write for English class. This same English teacher was the head of the school paper. Below, is the exact essay written word for word and letter for letter that I submitted to that teacher as my first assignment.

Dear M. Ferris

    As a student I can be very odd and entertaining. I am usually a jokester inside and out of the class and try to keep a bit of humor in everything.

    I like to be treated fairly, as long as im not the example all the time i’m okay. Its easiest to get along with me in any way. I connect with interesting teachers and boring teachers I dont connect with.

    I dont like reading aloud because it goes slow, and presentations always cause that stomach churning feeling. Group work is something I avoid so im not stuck doing all the work. Writings great but sometimes there are points where you cant explain what you want too.

    I’m a fairly well writer if its fiction; non-fiction is to solid for me to write, it has form and facts and fiction is what you make it. My weakest skills in English is spelling and keeping my vocabulary use simple, both I would like improve on.

    Thinking of previous English classes I realise I only did bad when I did’nt respect the teacher, I felt that way towards Mrs.Sneed.

    I would like to accomplish a high grade in this class but evaluation is your choice. I’d rather not be judged by my ideas or outlooks because their so odd.

    I play guitar and draw and write, im also interested in being a movie writer or show writer or possibly an animator of my own show. I’m not a proud person because their just accomplishments and if it wase’nt you who did it then someone else would have.

    All you can really do to help me is keep things interesting, be open to odd ideas, and maybe repeat instructions because I have a tendency to tune out now and then. Question’s for you, do you run the school newspaper?

                      Sign your student for two six weeks,
                                                           James

I read over this self-summary now and think back to this time in my life and there are a few things I must address.

“I like to be treated fairly” ... WELL NO SHIT, WHO DOESN’T!

“Group work is something I avoid so im not stuck doing all the work. Writings great but sometimes there are points where you cant explain what you want too.” … HEY 16 YEAR OLD JAMES, STOP BEING A FUCKING DOORMAT AND MAKE OTHERS DO THEIR SHARE OF THE DAMN WORK, ALSO, LEARN TO WRITE YOU TWIT, MAYBE THEN YOU CAN “EXPLAIN WHAT YOU WANT!”

“I’m a fairly well writer if its fiction” … I WAS OBVIOUSLY STEVIE WONDER WHEN IT CAME TO RECOGNIZING MY SKILLS…BLIND!

“; non-fiction is to solid for me to write, it has form and facts and fiction is what you make it.” …WHY DID I TRY TO USE A SEMICOLON? Although not to toot my own horn this is the guy who wrote his completely factual final essay in 4 hours while stoned out of his mind for his Interpersonal Communication class in college and made a 97 on it.

 My weakest skills in English is spelling and keeping my vocabulary use simple, both I would like improve on.” …THE MOST ADVANCED WORD IN THIS ENTIRE ESSAY WAS “VOCABULARY” AND “ACCOMPLISHMENTS!” ONE CAN ALSO SEE THAT I WAS HORRIBLE AT USING PUNCTUATION!

“Thinking of previous English classes I realise I only did bad when I did’nt respect the teacher, I felt that way towards Mrs.Sneed.” … INSULTING OTHER TEACHERS, WAY TO GO DICK!

“I’d rather not be judged by my ideas or outlooks because their so odd.” … IDIOT, FUCKING IDIOT!

“I’m not a proud person because their just accomplishments and if it wase’nt you who did it then someone else would have.” …LOOK AT THE SELF-CONFIDENCE JUST POURING OUT OF THIS DUMBASS, WHY NOT BE THE PERSON WHO ACCOMPLISHED THE GOAL, YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO BE PROUD!

“All you can really do to help me is keep things interesting, be open to odd ideas, and maybe repeat instructions because I have a tendency to tune out now and then.” … I’M FAIRLY CERTAIN SHE HELPED ME MUCH MORE THAN I EVER STOPPED TO REALIZE.

    This brings me to my points, One, never be afraid to laugh at yourself, and two, there was no reason for this instructor to offer me a position in the school paper later on and granted I was eventually kicked out but that was for different reasons that I brought upon myself. I do remember that the last article I wrote for the paper was highly scrutinized and I was continuously questioned on the fact that I wrote it because it was so different from what I had been turning in. I never considered why I was interrogated so much about it until I found this and realized just how much my style of writing developed in that short time. I look back at this now and reflect on just how much of a dumb ass know-it-all I thought I was and laugh, but I also have drawn a great conclusion from it. There is no one in this world who is perfect, no one who cannot find something they can improve on, and if we can spare some patience on those people and help them see what it is we see in them, they maybe, just maybe they will develop into someone they are supposed to be.