JediWright.com

Continued infrequency in my posting comes as no surprise, since I’ve been working so much this spring/summer. But, a brain dump feels in order now, so here goes.

I’ve been busting ass at the Home Depot mostly, with a few hours woven in here and there at the first part-time job I picked up here in Akron back in April. I finally got my operator license there about a month into the job, at Home Depot, and thank god since it was really proving counter-productive working without it. So along with getting the gist of their “reach truck” (hmm, pretty much what it sounds like) and “tow motor” (forklift), I’ve been learning a lot more about pesticides (yuck), herbicides, fungicides, seeds, plants, various equipment, and more.

It’s actually kind of a nice little education into a number of things I can tie in with Green Gurus and any related consulting there. And on the Exchange front (the other part-time job), I’m learning the systems they have in place for an interesting buy/trade they deal in. Could provide an interesting entrepreneurial option at some point, either with them or in one of my own ventures I’ve had shelved for awhile now.

On the parenting front, the wee pup is getting big. He’s eating solid foods (insofar as bottled veggies and fruit can be anyway) and loving it. He’s gotta be pushing close to 20-lbs now and is finally starting to hold himself up in a seated position, on his own.

And as I can squeeze it in, I do what I can to tend to Distinctivefabric.com, which has been making steady headway at knocking away at its debt (I think largely in thanks, to me having opted out of my salary indefinitely). Along the way, we’ve parted ways with its first founding member and are now just in a weird limbo of knocking out our debt, exploring any liabilities associated with assuming 100% ownership, etc.

Other than that, things are very routine and boring. Just trying to make it through the summer, with the help of what I hope to be a nice break with a short trip to PA to visit with mi hermana Amanda in from Spain, then a 10-day stint with The Do LaB in Ireland for their third year there for Electric Picnic. Hopefully afterwards, some moving plans will really come together and life will pick up more.

Until then, I’m just reading as much as I can, the oldest refuge I know.

I’ve been looking for a job now for over a few months (actually I’m always looking, but I’ve been scouring the ads intensively since we moved to PA and even more so for the last month when it became clear we needed to move) and have gotten zip-zero-zilch in the way of response from any of my resumes, submitted or posted online or otherwise.

I’m so fed up with my failure rate at finding conventional work and the criticisms from family. It’s no wonder all I’m getting is shit from them and apparently Tristan’s too, about how my priorities are wrong and so and so forth – I’m dead in the water when it comes to entering the conventional workforce.

Though in my defense, I have been taking as many hours as are available, while here in PA with an old boss doing some carpentry. And I’ve had to continue working for DistinctiveFabric.com for the last month unpaid, since my salary was frozen. As CEO and co-owner, I have a lot of responsibility that I can’t just write off, so a good deal of my time is taken up each week dealing with things there. And I had started a company last year with a friend who’s been investing since August or so, so I can’t just walk away from that. I have my obligations to him to see things through there with that. Also, I HAVE A BABY for the first time and a partner who’s struggling with post-partum depression on top of a previous depression (due to me moving us here). And oh yeah, I have no car of my own. That’s the real decision-maker there: no wheels = no job commuting (I borrow my old boss’s truck when working for him).

I’ve known I don’t fit the conventional mode for most of my life. And besides school, I’ve noticed it most acutely while in the general workplace. That’s why I’ve always found myself always pursuing some startup idea or another, cause I know the only way I’m ever going to make real money (short of moving back to LA and working for The Do LaB indefinitely) is to create my own company.

I’ve lost track of how many resumes I’ve put out over the last month. I’ve had an offer from The Do LaB though to go work Coachella again with more paid to me in a day rate than I’d make in nearly a week at any other job. But Tristan sees it as the wrong course, stating that it doesn’t make any sense and I need to focus on finding stable income once we move to Akron (in less than two weeks now). I don’t completely agree: it’s a great paying gig, they’d cover my expense (including travel) and as a plus, I’d get out to check in on DistinctiveFabric.com after having been gone for six months. On the other hand, the time spent in Cali would require some expense while there, so I’d probably lose about a 1/5th of my pay to that.

I’ve never totally bought into a conventional path to anything and I guess it really shows at this point in my life. It’s almost as if employers and family latch on to that immediately and steer clear (or cast harsh judgement on me for leading a different life).

The only route I see offering any sort of solution here is joining the military (okay yes that’s drastic but I’m venting here , cause I sure as hell don’t wait tables. I tried once and it was a complete nightmare. But if I’m down to minimum wage jobs or the military, maybe a move back to LA is the best choice. I’ll have to see how things go with the in-person job hunt first before turning everything upside down considering another move to LA.

My primary source of income has recently dried up and am in great need of immediate employment. Require a net minimum of $2,800 per month in salary just to cover essentials for me, my partner and our baby due in two weeks.

Any leads anyone can share with me would be immensely appreciated!

Employment history below.
–

EMPLOYMENT
Distinctivefabric.com, Inc. – Present
2079 E 15th St, #330, LA CA 90021

Chief Executive Officer
*Management of corporate affairs, taxes, corporate filings, license/permit renewals, etc.
*Oversee web development, product creation and launches, marketing campaigns, sustainability integration, etc.
*Excel in dynamic and fast-paced order fulfillment, Internet startup and management environments.

The Do LaB / Lightning In A Bottle Arts and Music Festival – Present
2023 Bay St, LA CA 90021

Senior Production Artist, Assistant Director of Sustainability
*Assist in design, building, installing, and transporting large-scale art installations and event productions
*Co-manage client-relations pre- and post-production
*Assist Director in greening company operations and country’s leading sustainable arts and music festival
*Co-manage 200+ paid and volunteer staff
*Excel in management and coordination of multi-tasking, high end installations and client-interfacing

Green Gurus, LLC – Present
2079 E 15th St, #330, LA CA 90021

Founder and Chief Executive Officer
*Manage team, clients, corporate affairs, marketing, web development, etc.
*Excel in dynamic and fast-paced Internet startup and management environments.

Rooftop Promotion: April 2003 – April 2004
Gardena, CA

Director of Media Relations
*Coordination of artist promotions through press and radio contacts
*Managed Filemaker database of press and radio contacts
*Excelled in multi-artist PR

Hidden River Adventure: August 1996 – November 2001
Monocacy, PA

General Manager
*Managed inventory, equipment, group bookings, ecotours, transportation, staff, maintenance
*Lead carpenter and builder of corporate offices
*Excelled in customer relations

COMPUTER EXPERIENCE
*Applications: Microsoft Office XP, Word and Excel; Apple OS X; Google Docs: Document, Presentation, Spreadsheets, Adwords, Adsense; Open Office, KOffice, The Gimp; Adobe Photoshop, Dreamweaver; QuarkXPress; Transmit, Fugu, Telnet Launcher, Filemaker, Drupal CMS, Plesk and cPanel; Abelton Live, Reason
*Languages: Basic UNIX, PHP, HTML/XHTML, CSS
*Browsers: Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox, Opera
*Social Networks, Utilities and Apps: Basecamp, Wiki, WordPress, Blogger, Twitter, Flickr, Picasa, Posterous, Facebook, Myspace, Tribe, LinkedIn, YouTube, Revver, Vimeo, Digg, Hugg, etc.

EDUCATION
Santa Monica Community College
Santa Monica, CA
Computer Science
Pursued completion of undergraduate degree

The Bradley Academy / Art Institute
York, PA
Multimedia
Pursued completion of undergraduate degree

Time for some list-making with my first, Top 10 list of the new year.

This is a Top 10 of all my favorites, spanning any and every category. From favorite travel destinations, films, books, websites, events, jobs, and anything else that tickles my list-making fancy. Also, it should be noted that it’s been posted in no particular order.

1. Favorite Trip
I flew into Barcelona after my first European trip and job with The Do LaB in Portugal and did some sight-seeing with Patricio and finally got to see Amanda, meet her husband and otherwise catch up with her life of 10-years there in Europe.

2. Favorite Job With The Do LaB
I think my favorite job with these guys this past year was the one for SpeakerCraft. Everyone kicked ass for weeks in the pre-fab, load-in and setup in Denver at the Cedia Convention. That job was the most taxing in terms of details we’ve yet done and it really showed. It was so much work but in the end it turned out amazingly beautiful.

3. Favorite Live Show
Nine Inch Nails’ show in Baltimore, MD at the Virgin Music Festival was definitely my favorite show of the year. I always love Trent Reznor’s music and his live performances with a band are one of the best. Plus, I got to bring Tristan and my old high-school friend Jesse Buck along too; it was both their first time seeing NIN live.

4. Favorite New Web Service
I think definitely without a doubt, that Posterous was the coolest new web utility service. I discovered it late in the year but have been thoroughly enjoying its use ever since.

5. Favorite New Book
My favorite new read of the year had to be “From Program To Product – Turning Your Code Into A Saleable Product” by Rocky Smolin.

6. Favorite Gift
Definitely without a doubt was Tristan’s handmade pregnant belly cast she made for me at Christmas.

7. Favorite News
No it wasn’t Obama winning, it was the unforgettable news that I was going to have my first child and a son at that. He’s growing nice and strong and due in 3 weeks.

8. Favorite New Album
This is a bit tough but would have to say Booka Shade’s “Movements”. Then Santogold’s self-titled album, followed by Death Cab’s “Narrow Stairs”.

9. Favorite New Movie
Hmm, another toughie but I’m gonna’ have to say Iron Man I think. Tropic Thunder, Batman: The Dark Knight, Speedracer, and a few others were all great too, but I think Iron Man was one of the most well done comic book adaptations yet, and a great first-time effort in one from Robery Downey, Jr.

10. Favorite Activity
Blogging has proven the most enjoyable activity that I’ve pursued this year. My creative pursuits have kind of been up and down a lot over the last few years so blogging has helped to stabilize and fulfill the need for a healthy, consistent outlet of expression. Plus, I received my first check in related advertising.

Ball Drop

Originally uploaded by JediWright

New Year’s Eve celebrations are a dime a dozen, especially in cities ’round the world. House parties with friends are probably the most common here in the States, next to major towns and cities hosting public celebrations.

This year, er last year, Tristan and I spent our night with my brother Ben and his girlfriend Jen, our step-brother Justin and his girlfriend, and some of our friends, totaling just 11.

We were the first to arrive, getting to Jen’s parents place around 8:30pm. We took a small soundsystem, some food and drink left-over from my 30th bday party (love me some recycling in any way possible . The other guests started showing up not long after.

We had a nice selection of beer thanks to my bro and a great spread of food by Jen. We chatted about relationships, politics, law, beer, the house we were hanging in, our accident from earlier that day, and a host of other random subjects.

We probably had our most fun though when playing Taboo – good ol’ slapstick fun. Or whatever. Not quite my normal activities compared to the last 6-7 years’ celebratons, but still a good time.

Last year we dropped by Tristan’s sister Olivia’s place for a drink and then headed off to our last major Green Sector party, which was held at Creativity in Venice. That was an okay time, but it too was pretty low-key.

Seems like things are mellowing out, year after year. I think everyone’s just so overstimulated these days that not much is super-exciting. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed myself last night. But part of me always craves for the big lights/soundsystems/crowds/etc.

Maybe next year will be that all-out-year, if The Do LaB does another NYE event; their last was back in 2004.

No matter what though, that transition will always retain some measure of magic and excitement. Change is an awesome thing.

Happy New Year!

p.s. The rest of my pics from last night are up on my Flickr now.

do_bmore_nin_logo

Originally uploaded by JediWright

Trent Reznor’s band Nine Inch Nails (NIN) just finished an amazing tour, called LIGHTS IN THE SKY.

I was only able to catch one show of this tour (and only my 4th NIN show to date). It was in Baltimore at the Virgin Music Festival back in August, where I setup a Do LaB installation for the 2nd year in a row.

And while this year’s V-fest wasn’t that great, NIN’s show was the best there (by a longshot) and probably the best show I’ve seen yet.

I’m happy to see Reznor still at it and am really enjoying the refinement that’s coming about with his age and experience, to both his performance and songwriting (not that the early albums were lacking .

Anyway, I hope this doesn’t prove to be the last tour for too long. I think we’ve all been spoiled though these last few years, with one tour right after the other.

If it does prove awhile till the next, then I hope he explores some other mediums, especially film: either acting and/or directing/producing.

I think his music is just a glimpse into the vast talent pool in which he bathes.