It's been a long time, I shouldn't have left you, without a dope beat to step to...

Refer to title. Yes, I am quoting Timbaland. What of it? So why has it been so effing long? Because simply, I gained too much ambition and lost too much motivation. I realized I had to go hard or go home and when I finally did, BAM, internship at Bite TV. I'm absolutely loving it there, and I've made a tonne of connections, but it's usually only for two days out of the week. The other 5...well the other 5 are too much like today was. Boring, unambitious, and inevitably unproductive. I found something worth doing, and stopped doing everything else. It aint healthy. Not just on the job front, but life in general. First thing's first, I re-cut my editing reel and I'm learning some Adobe After Effects to make myself more marketable...and that all kinda factors in to the bigger picture. That, is just one of the TEN things that I am to do for those 5 days that I just sit around. Okay, every now and then, there will be days when I'm not working, that I'll be out and about, but besides those...

You may recall in a much earlier blog post, when I was still in school that I had a countdown to the real world on my whiteboard saying "Life begins in 106 days" or something to that effect. Inevitably, I realized that was depressing, so I erased it. "What was I even scared of?" I thought to myself. But now I'm on another whiteboard kick, and this one, rather than being DE-structive is gonna be PRO-ductive...




I am to do at least half of these TEN things (for argument's sake, let's say 4 or 5) every day that I would otherwise be sulking around in boredom, each one for an hour or so, and if I do 6 or more, I will reward myself...perhaps with some mindless fun, like video games...or something sweet like a smoothie.

- Learn some more After Effects
- Edit something or cut together another Music Mashup
- Do some homework on a video assignment from my internship
- Read! (Because the only time I've been reading otherwise is on commutes on those internship days)
- Write! Work on a novel I started during last year's NaNoWriMo or just write something new.
- Work on a setlist for my next show whenever the hell it may be, or at least play some guitar and maybe learn a new song or two, record something, etc.
- Explore! Find a park or field nearby, or if I'm more mobile, go to a part of the city I don't frequent and just roam around, get some fresh air! (This one will be better and include bike riding once the weather finally starts warming up.)
- Work on what I call "Notebook Congregationals" and write some free-form poetry, stream of consciousness, prose and rhymes, write while listening to music, and "word doodle." Spend an hour with my notebook. =)
- Exercise! For god's sake I NEED to get back into my routine. (Again this will be easier when the weather is better, tennis basketball and biking will all factor in somehow.)
- Blog! What I'm doing right now. If I were starting this little project today, I would get point for it (because with things like blogging I suppose it would work more on a point basis because I can't necessarily blog for an hour. Unless I include reading other blogs...learning stuff. Hmmm.)

I'm Demetri Martinizing my life, and anyone who's seen "If I" will know exactly what I mean by that (if you haven't seen it I VERY HIGHLY recommend it.)

So that's that. I'll call it Project Productive...or something like that. Doesn't really need to have a name, as long as it WORKS! And all I need to do to make that happen, is follow through. Wish me luck!

Peace and love and everything in between,
Joseph Michael Chammas

Alive again

Hi there!! So here I am, staying funky as promised...yes my presence in the blogosphere hasn't been quite as prominent as of late, but the long and the short of it is: I was busy. It's the simplest and most legit explanation I can muster up, and it'll actually do this time because...wait for it...I've been working. Yes, granted it's another temp job, it's almost over, and it's been about a month and a half...that STILL aint too shabby considering I was only supposed to be there for two weeks. So I've accumulated some funds for the holidays, started gigging again..lost a little momentum here and there along the way but I'm always fighting hard to gain it back...I'm getting better at catching myself before I slip into, ya know...one of those "moods." I've got money in my pocket for the holidays and a smile on my face...and a little more ambition. I said in my last post that I would end this year with a bang...and that is still the plan.

Peace and love,
Joe

Positivity

Splitting the hustle has proved to be a success so far. I'm putting a lot of eggs in the music basket, recording cover after cover after cover after cover after cover after...you get the picture...but at the same time I feel a bit more fulfilled in this whole job-hunt situation. Sure there's still the odd day where I break down and ask "why oh WHY is it taking this damn long." But I'm doing better than before...I'm getting interviews, I'm making calls, I'm networking a little bit more...TRYING to put myself out there and trying not to be picky. I do have another temp gig lined up for November through January, and this one seems far more fun and interesting than the last. That means that if worst comes to worse, I'll at least have some money for the holidays, which is a HUUGE weight off my shoulders because as we all know, the holidays can get pretty expensive.

But I'm still hustling, trying to find what I can find, and I feel good, more confident than before. Trying to stay on this positive kick...trying to make it much less of just a "kick" and much more of a permanent state of mind. I think my idea to keep focusing on the things I love (i.e. music) while I'm not looking for a job is really helping to keep me afloat. It's keeping that feeling of fulfillment for me, so I take that positive attitude to other ventures, whatever they may be. The last few months have been rough, but I can't lie folks, I think it's been a pretty good year. I graduated from what will hopefully be my last stint in post-secondary education, I celebrated two wonderful years with my amazing girlfriend, I wrote a shitload of new songs, working on some newer music projects and I am steadily working toward my goal of recording another CD...

Yeah man...it's been alright...and I'm gonna do my very best to make sure that this year ends with a bang.

Cheers,
Joeyboy

Split the hustle

Times been hard, times been hard. I'm not even gonna acknowledge the fact that it's been quite a while since the last post (although technically I just did) by saying "long time no see" or the slightly more ebonic "it's been a minute." But yeah man, all there is to report is that I'm just stayin' positive. Breaking down then breaking through like always. Mad opportunities have come and gone but I'm still standing, doing my best to snatch that gig that I've been looking for.

But now I feel different, now I'm working on both fronts. I feel like I'm just now realizing the gravity of the music thing and how it compliments this other personality of mine perfectly. I've been thinking: where's that fire that I used to have for this music thing? Sure I'm writing new songs and recording new videos and hittin' the guitar every so often, but man I used to be right on top of this gig-finding...much like I am with this god-forsaken job-hunt. It's got me thinking: accomplish one thing, and I will be more motivated to accomplish the next. So I've decided to evenly split the hustle, the amount of energy that goes into each respective venture. Put out those goals for myself on each front and then accomplish them one by one. Get a gig, find a job, write a song, make some money, release a CD, become an editor...

I guess the best thing to do is just stay moving no matter what. No dog ever peed on a moving car...Okay that's a little gross, but a much better sentiment that I wish I knew the source of is that "life is made up of little battles," and I think it's high time that I start winning...every single one of 'em.

Wish me luck.


Peace, love and positivity,
Joe

Return and rise

So once again I’ve left the posting for a long, long time. Maybe I’m not as committed to this whole blogging thing as I thought I was, but I think that maybe it’s because deep down I was waiting for something exciting to happen…and it has…kinda. I’ve secured myself some potential temporary employment, which I may or may not go through with depending on this Saturday. What’s going on Saturday you ask? I finally have an interview! After searching for many months I’ve secured myself a sit-down with a gentlemen from a studio in Toronto who’s looking for editors. This could very well be where I begin my career. I’m excited about the prospect of doing something in my field, and I hope and I pray that this will be where I launch my stint in “the real world.”

Other than that, things are going great…not much to report (despite the two-or-so month gap between postings). Okay, so some major milestones have occurred I suppose. I officially graduated (wit honours, no less) from Sheridan College’s Broadcast Journalism program. That’s gotta count for something right? Also, at the beginning of this month, Viki and I celebrated two wonderful years together as a couple. Hard to believe it’s been over two years since that magical first date, (which is a story in and of itself). Secured myself a few gigs here and there on the musical front…life is good.

I’ve been seeing a lot of Viki and my friends. Case and point being that I am typing this entry on the bus coming home from Matt’s house. I’ve been starting to get sick of my old songs lately while trying to compile a setlist, and jamming with Matt and his friend Andrew may be just the inspiration I need to start writing some more new stuff.

Rich, Nareeman and I also started a little project, another blog actually that so far deals with the techie stuff (although all of my posts to date have been about gaming). You can check that out over at ionmediablog.blogspot.com.

I guess there’s a lot more going on than I initially thought…just had to think about it and let it ruminate. There’s a bit more on the musical front but I should save that for the SDIL blog (link at the bottom of this page).

Despite the job situation, this summer is shaping up to be a good one…I guess I just have to wait and see where the wind takes me.

Adios, type to you soon,
Joe

Return to sender

It's been a while, a long while. To break it all down shortly and sweetly: here's the skinny:

I finished my volunteer hours at Rogers, but I'm going to try to continue volunteering there two days a week or so. I spent four days working in the warehouse of a company that auctions animal furs...I'm not proud of that, but it was a temporary gig and I need the cash right now. In fact I'm currently looking for whatever I can to make money while I look for, well...a career.

It's so weird being here at these proverbial crossroads everyone keeps talking about. Fear is slowly setting back in, but I can't let it. I gotta trust that it will work out. It's tough when I see or hear about people around me, other students from my program thriving. It should encourage me more but it doesn't. Sadly enough, what encourages me is the fact that not all of us are so lucky. A lot of people are probably in the same boat as I am, sitting in limbo. I take an odd kind of solace in that fact, but the "limboat" as I am now calling it can only float for so long. Being at Rogers will keep me somewhat connected, in the network, but it's new jobs and opportunities that I'm after. I don't wanna be the guy who volunteers and waits tables WHILE he's looking for another job, and never find that job.

The urgency of this got real intense, real fast. I know a lot of people in my position struggle, but I refuse to be in this state very long. This summer must be a win for me, that is my goal. And as much as I hate to say it, one of the things that's hurting the most right now is the lack of money. It's getting almost frightening at this point, and it's most of the reason why I'm even looking for any old part-time job on the side. It's not just to kill time while I search for my dream career, I need it to sustain me...again, that's where the fear comes in.

But no more vicious cycles. I have things to do, goals to make AND ACHIEVE), music to play and plenty of love to share with everyone who needs it.

Love is after all the ultimate answer right? Here's hopin'.

Peace and a generous amount of the all-healing love,
Joe

Fall down, rise up...again

So I'm averaging like two or three posts every month...ehh, still much better than what I used to do. There will be more time to update in the summer but at that point I'll also hopefully be updating my music blog more often because the summer is the time for writing and recording.

So today was a crazy day at school. Things were calm and then got really hectic, really fast. I'm gonna be working on stuff all weekend, and I'm starting to feel the pressure again. I was also starting to fret all over again and get those anxiety attacks and yes "fear of the future" which I might has well have named this blog because that's all I've been talking about even though I SAID that I would STOP!!!!!

...

But hey...it all goes back to the title of one of my last blog entry: "Fall down, rise up." I thought nothing of it when I first typed it out because usually I just type the first thing that comes to mind. But today, it felt like another one of those fluctuations, another one of those mood swings, like: "OHHMIGOD I'M NOT GONNA MAKE IT..OHH..oh....ohhhh...okay never mind I'm fine." And I think that's gonna happen a lot, even though I hate to admit it. I think I NEED that, I think we all do at some point.

In short I started to worry again but then as the day progressed I let my mind ease up, mentally prepared myself for the days to come, vented to my girlfriend (which always seems to help). There's just been a lot of talk about journalism being a dying industry...I just have to believe that I'm skilled enough to be able to jump ship quickly if the S.S. Broadcast News Media goes down...and I think I am skilled enough man, I really do. And if not, I'm a quick learner... so fuck it.

It's gonna be tough keeping a level head but shit, I'm gonna have to just try my hardest to do just that. And like I've said before, it doesn't hurt to come here once in a while and vent it through typing to you guys...my three loyal readers, haha. Naw, I really don't know how many people read this but in the end I guess it's just as much for my sake to get it out there.

But I'm done getting it out there for tonight. Come back in the next few weeks...hopefully I'll be talking about something other than school and my FUUUTUUUREEE!! 'Cause let's face it, that shit is boring anyway, haha.

Over and out folks,
Joeypants