2008 Update

Hello everyone,

I hope this e-mail finds all of you well as the holidays approach. As always, I’m not a huge fan of the impersonal nature of a mass e-mail with an update on what has been going on with me, but it is the easiest way to catch everyone up at once. And, as always, I welcome (and encourage) individual e-mails so that I can catch up with you.

So I moved — again! I am no longer at my residence in Tempe. I moved back in with mom and dad in Glendale in April. I hate my 27-mile commute to work each day, but it’s much easier now that my co-worker, Julie, and I are carpooling. We are saving money, the environment and our sanity. The Westside is also closer to my clique of Jose, Nikki and Blair, who always seem ready at a moment’s notice to “get out of the house” and run around West Phoenix or Glendale. (More on my place of residence later.)

This year saw several trips around the country. In March I went to Miami to check out the Winter Music Conference; in July I was in Chicago for the UNITY: Journalists of Color Conference; and I twice visited New York, once in October and another time this month (more on that later, also). Thanks to all the friends who let me crash with them and kept me entertained (and in some cases, sane) during those jaunts to your respective cities!

I am still working at 944 magazine as a copy editor, but since several people are no longer with the company and new ones have been hired on, I saw my responsibilities shift from copyediting the Phoenix and Miami editions to the Miami, San Francisco and Las Vegas editions (that was a hell of a month) to my current gig handling Miami and Las Vegas. I also did some high-profile interviews this year with LL Cool J, Ne-Yo, Christina Milian and Margaret Cho. These articles and all of my other clips are available at www.joellyons.com. (Again, more on work later.)

Oh, if you just CAN’T get enough of my music writing, visit my blog at http://thatsmyjamradio.blogspot.com. This was a side project I started last year, but as of April, I have been much more active with uploading new content on a fairly regular basis. Hopefully you guys enjoy!

Outside of work I have been keeping busy by helping coordinate AZ Media Buzz events [www.mediabuzzmixers.com], serving as the chapter leader of SwirlPhoenix (upon the sad departure of Tonya and Teresita to Dallas. Good luck, ladies! www.swirlinc.org) and handling the role of secretary for the Arizona Association of Black Journalists (www.azblackjournalists.org). I also planned and attended my 10-year high school reunion, which I think went well and had a decent number of participants. (Note to Trevor G. Browne Class of ’98 members: I am not planning the next reunion. ☺)

Later is now, so I will deliver perhaps the biggest change that will take place in the beginning of 2009. I AM MOVING TO NEW YORK CITY! Yes, the dream so many of you heard me talk about for years is becoming an actuality. My friend Tim, who works for an airline, got a transfer to New York and extended the opportunity to move there with him. I said yes and we (mostly him) took the steps to secure a place to live and get our stuff shipped out to NYC. The only personal hurdle to overcome now is to find a job — so media and New York friends, you can expect another e-mail from me regarding your help with that. ☺ I’ll be living in Queens (message me for exact address) and anticipate getting out there in either January or February.

OK, now it’s your turn to tell me about you.

Happy holidays, everyone!

A Pleasure in the Pain

I have a confession to make — even though I do so at the risk of my employer seeing this and possibly thinking I fully enjoyed the experience leading to what I’m about to reveal. Let me provide some background: Work sucked last month, due to some “innovative” ideas to redesign our magazine and a number of other factors (double the workload for my fellow copy editor and I, people selling ads at the 11th hour of print, starting a new magazine for another city (bringing our total to seven markets), etc. — and my damn ambition demanding I write a story during all of this) that stalled our magazines from getting the proper attention they deserved. My secret? Somewhere within this sleep-deprived, cholesterol level-rising, rarely feeling-clean fiasco, I found a certain joy that can only be found in doing what I love as a career. To clarify, no, I don’t like staying up until all hours of the night or coming in on weekends to work, nor do I like having potential plans or my regular schedule jacked up in order to revolve around work. (I work to live, not live to work.) The joy I speak of is the pleasure of being able to get paid to do something that I enjoy: working with words. Not everyone has that, so I feel blessed to have the opportunity to do so on a daily basis and appreciate the fact that this job will actually take me down the career path — and success — that I desire. (Too bad the late nights probably won’t stop here, though. Que sera … )

Push!

When I quit working out a year-and-a-half ago, it was due to time and financial constraints. Now that both of those issues aren’t as pressing, I thought I’d hit the gym once again. I’ve sporadically tried to keep in shape over the years, so I thought this extended break wouldn’t affect me or my ability to work on my fitness. Boy, was I wrong. Day one of my workout ended with me feeling dizzy and on the verge of throwing up. Day two was much more impressive … and painful. Day three, I actually felt good and more healthy. Looks like I’ll have to keep this up, because I already feel like I’m in better shape and have even noticed a slight improvements in my figure. I’m at 216 now and Pure Fitness says I could be at 193 by the end of May. We’ll see.

I officially started liking my job a few months ago when I became a copy editor. I discovered this when I realized I was enjoying reading stories that weren’t so well written, liked staying late to finish up and get ahead for the next day, and when work stopped being work. Yes, folks, I think I’ve finally found my true career path … even if it did take a few years to get here.

Being domestic is fun! All that cooking, cleaning and shopping for housewares is like a quiet therapy and hanging out at home is becoming more desirable than going out to eat, hitting the club or finding some other way to entertain myself away from home. DVR greatly helps this.

There’s Gotta Be More To Life…

I’ve tried to start this blog about three different ways, but each time I erased what I had typed. Perhaps that’s an example of how unsatisfied and uninspired I’ve been lately.

I’ve been in college for more than eight years and have successfully completed one degree in journalism and am about to finish another, and yet I can’t say that this is a field I am passionate about. True, I do like to write (the present months I’ve barely blogged are excluded). True, I like being in the company of other writers and media professionals. True, I enjoy getting access to people and places the general public can only dream of.

With all of these reasons, why does my job at the magazine feel like work rather than a fortunate opportunity to be creative on a daily basis? Why does reading seem like more of a chore rather than the past time it used to be or the chance to learn techniques that enhance my abilities within the craft? Why am I the only one who doesn’t appreciate my job title?

Perhaps this is me admitting that after all of these years in school, interning, and gaining what I thought were exploratory experiences, I still don’t know what I want to be “when I grow up.” (Hmm…it’s weird to see that statement coming from me. I think that’s the first time I’ve been honest with myself regarding career pursuits.)

Over time, I’ve discovered many things I don’t like to do, but I’ve yet to nail down what exactly I want to do professionally. My interest haven’t been concentrated in one specific area. I’ve wanted to be a chef, broadcast journalist, business professional, teacher/professor, nonprofit professional, radio program director, promotions director, writer, and probably other jobs I’m not thinking of. It would be easier if it was a matter of finding that area of interest, but apparently, I can’t even figure that out.

What am I passionate about? The two jobs I had that I complained the least about (in terms of my responsibilities at them) were when I was a Student Training Assistant at the ASU Intergroup Relations Center and when I was a DJ at the skating rink. Diversity and music. Is there a position available that combines the two? Probably not, and if so, not many.

From all of the jobs I’ve had, the collective aspects from each that I enjoyed were: interacting with new and different people in positive atmospheres; initiating and maintaining communication; community building towards a common goal; having a variety of activities and responsibilities (sometimes, I get bored easy); opportunities to be creative; challenges.

After writing this, I’m still not clear on what I should do to find professional happiness–I just pray I find it soon. I don’t have the strength to be unhappy much longer.

Then again, maybe I don’t need to happy at my job. Maybe I just need to think of it as a place to make money. That seems so hard to do, since the average person spends a third of their day at work and is probably there mentally long after their shift has ended.

Perhaps having my activities outside of work can keep me busy and satisfy my social and activist needs and overshadow the situation at work. Hmm… I still think I’d rather kill time and earn a living at a place that offers me a sense of fulfillment as well as supplying my checking account.

Has it been that long since I’ve written?

Wow, I hadn’t realized it had been that long since I posted anything for my legion of fans to read. Fortunately for you all, I’ve got the urge to compose a blog tonight, so I figure, why resist it? Here’s a hodge-podge of thoughts, updates and rants.

About a month ago I started working at Sierra H Broadcasting in the promotions department. Sierra H is the parent company responsible for Phoenix radio stations Mega 104.3/99.3 FM (www.mega1043.com) which plays R&B and Energy Arizona 92.7/101.1 FM (www.energyarizonafm.com) which plays dance. I used to work for the company five years ago. At that time, Mega was young and Energy was a rock station. One of the longer opportunities to get hours at either station is working at Sixshooters on Saturday nights, typically from 6 p.m. to about 3 a.m. For those of you who have never ventured over to the West Phoenix’s hot spot, be prepared for inconsistent fun. (I’m not going to lie, sometimes it’s off the hook, other days it’s a little dry.)

I pulled that shift this past weekend, the night was a little on the dry side of the spectrum, and I couldn’t help but think about how important performing arts are in public schools. How did I make this connection you ask? Well, after noticing how many people were a part of the rhythmless nation, I kept thinking about how they used to teach us to dance in school. Mind you, most of the individuals at this club were probably a few years older than me, but I couldn’t help but think that if we had maybe spent more time learning formal and popular dance rather than focusing on standardized testing that I wouldn’t see consistent murder on the dance floor. Really, what do the tests prove? My vote is for more dance lessons so that I don’t keep getting offended at what passes for dancing these days.

(Straight grinding or pelvic thrusts do not equal dancing.)

Though the dancing was bad, the music was fairly on point. I mean, some of the songs were played as many as four times in a six-hour span, but it’s not like that’s uncommon. I had a musical escape in the mp3′s my friend Adrian sent me of MoKenStef. For those of you who forgot about MoKenStef, you probably remember He’s Mine, one of the most played songs of 1995. I’ve been drifting back to the summer between my freshman and sophomore year at Trevor G. Browne High School when I hear the girls sing “He’s mine/ You may of had him once/ But I got him all the time.” How I miss the days where that song graced the radio waves of Power 92 and my TV screen when I turned to BET or MTV. This album is definitely a nominee for my flashback album of the year–but they’re up against Jade, so we’ll all have to wait until December to find out who wins.

True victory was mine when a little over a week ago when my friend Blair and I rearranged my room. I’ll have to post pictures later of the change, but the set up is much more visitor friendly and also more comfortable. Perhaps I was inspired by catching portions of the many home shows my mom watches on HGTV, but I had to make the change. I have a huge shelf/wall-unit and an elevated bed with a wooden frame that dominated the room. The shelf stayed where it is, but the bed got pushed into a corner. I also replaced my old desk and TV cart that held my printer with a brand new desk from Ikea (thank you, Daniel, for exposing me to the joy of Ikea!). Once the bed was moved, my dresser and nightstand changed locations, and then the desk was replaced. The finishing touch was setting up my newly-purchased papa san chair from Pier 1. Now I have a spot to read, talk on the phone and play my video games that’s not my bed and doesn’t encourage me to fall asleep the minute I lay on it.

Reading is sure to be a big part of my future. I just found out today that my project, my final task before I can graduate from the University of Missouri, has FINALLY been approved! HALLELUJAH! This means I can get started on my research and move the process of graduating along. I’m beyond ready to be done, but my goal is to finish up by Mizzou’s homecoming in October, or at the very latest by the time my birthday swings around in November. Wish me luck–finishing that up would be the best gift!

Getting Back To “Me” Update

There’s been a great sense of liberation since my last blog. I feel like I’ve emerged from the slump I was in and am now moving through life in much more focused, positive and beneficial manners. Who says there isn’t some therapy in writing? “Naming” the issues truly helped in recognizing those things that were holding me down and beginning the process of conquering them.

The job hunt continues with some promising leads. I’ve barely been at home this week, so perhaps that’s making my heart grow fonder of it. Personal relationships on multiple levels are doing quite well. Steps are being taken to reacquaint me with being an active citizen. The debt is still piling up, but it’s not my fault they packaged six DJ Irene CDs into one box for only $30. They MADE me buy the set!

Sorry if this is lame, folks, can’t really think of anything big to write about right now, but I’m sure something will inspire me to do so in the future.

Getting Back To “Me”

I’ve been quite the spectrum of emotions over the last couple of weeks. One minute I’m on the highest of highs only to have that feeling turned upside down seconds later into depressing lows. I suppose this is something a lot of people go through, so I take solace in knowing my case has yet to be diagnosed.

I’ve been trying to nail down exactly what it is that causes these occasional shifts in my mood. A lot of factors contribute to the emotional sum. There’s work (or a lack of it due to my resignation at the place I started working at last week–trust me, it was for the best). There’s home. There’s friends. There’s love. There’s debt. Ther’s my lack of involvement. There’s probably several other things I could list that I’m failing to recognize at this time.

Are these all sources for my current woes? I would say the root of the issues stems from my dissatisfaction of how I’ve been handling them. Rather than embracing challenges and maintaining my trademark optimism, I seem to have succumbed to feelings of laziness, victimization and hopelessness. Those emotions, while valid, aren’t healthy for extended periods of time. So, it’s here that I make my declaration to stop the insanity!  (Thank you, Susan Powter)

Working at a great place doesn’t have to be something that’s unobtainable. Instead, it can be a home away from home that puts my skills to use, money in pocket and offers a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day.

Home doesn’t need to feel like a clutter-laden, non-interactive and scrub-housing hole where I lay my head at night. It can be a place to relax, relate and reconcile.

Friends shouldn’t be a chore to keep in touch with or to spend time with. Their presence can serve as a constant reminder of good times, listening and laughter, and their ability to serve as an extension (sometimes substitution) of the biological family.

Happiness with another person will not be waiting in vain for that call or that text, settling for third-class treatment or putting life on hold for them. Rather, it can be a reciprocated set of emotions expressed verbally and through actions.

Possessions won’t possess me. Instead, debt can be another mountain that is easily turned into a molehill–a challenge that can be taken on and conquered!

Being involved doesn’t have to be a memory of the past. It can be a reality in the present in an area I’m passionate about and willing to initiate.

Writing these thoughts down has been empowering. I hope and pray that I can channel these positive vibes in to a productive and purposeful state of being.

Small Successes

Sometimes the little things can make a difference in how successful and good you feel about life. Despite my inability to sleep past 7 a.m., I’m in a great mood, and I think some of these events helped that.

1) My room has finally been purged of junk! I’ve had two yard sales to get rid of unwanted stuff. Whatever I didn’t sell this past weekend was happily donated to Goodwill on Thursday, freeing up some space in my room. Once I buy a shelf to better organize my ‘office space’, it’ll be time for rearranging. Anyone an expert in Feng Shui?

2) Recently reacquainted myself with someone whom I felt I’d given a bad impression. Our previous experiences hanging out weren’t the best, as I was usually tired, cranky, and in one instance, anti-social. Our most recent encounter was much more positive, and I think the friendship was not only healed, but progressed down a positive pathway.

3) Landed a job that looks like it will be right up my alley as well as challenging and an opportunity to learn new skills. The people I’ve met so far seem quite friendly and willing to help me learn how to be successful in the position. And who doesn’t like being paid?

4) Reorganized my book and video shelves so they are more pleasing to look at and also easier to access. Anyone who has been in my room may remember this ginormous wall unit I have in my room. It basically serves as the storage for all my media. It’s been a mess ever since I returned home, but a few adjustments have made it right as rain.

5) I’ve somewhat started to get back in the groove of reading on a regular basis. The steps are small–I’m trying to knock out a ridiculously tall stack of comic books first, then make my way to my magazines and books, some of which have been in cue to be read for years. Reading is truly a joy I’ve denied myself for too long.

Ain’t Nothin’ Goin’ On But the Rent … you got to have a J.O.B. if you wanna be with me!

I totally need to write in this blog more than I have been lately, but I have to admit I’ve been a little uninspired. Nothing much has been on my mind, or maybe it’s been that there’s been too much and I couldn’t pinpoint a specific topic to talk about. I’ll do my best to do that now.

Job hunting is a pain in the neck. Sending e-mails to blank addresses gets old. I attended a broadcasting job fair on Monday that left me feeling quite empty and not very hopeful. Well, something good came after I came across a posting on a Web site. I’m happy to report that pain is now gone for me. Just today, I accepted a position at Independent Newspapers as an Editorial Assistant. I’ll be copy editing and proofreading content and also doing community outreach for weekly newspapers in Sun City, Sun City West and Surprise. For those of you not in or familiar with Arizona, those are all cities in the West Valley and the location of this job is close to my house–by Phoenix standards. I’m happy to be able to have a position that allows me to do what I went to school for as well as challenge me in areas I haven’t honed quite as well. I’m also excited to not have to drive extremely far to get to work and that I’ll have benefits. Probably most importantly, my cash flow will now be positive–bye, bye credit card debt, student loans and car payments. Hello savings and ‘moving to New York City’ money.

Along with this, I would also like to see what outside opportunities I can find to further maintain my writing skills and also get my foot in the door in the radio industry. I took a step towards a goal I mentioned in a previous blog. You may remember me telling you all I had an idea I wanted to implement by the end of the year that could make me money. Well, it may not, but let’s just say it will move me closer to my goal of getting into radio. At least I hope it does.

School’s almost out for summer

Today, I saw the fruits of my labor hit your local upscale newsstand.  944 Magazine, where I’m interning, released it’s February issue today, and some of the articles that I wrote made their way into the mag.  Of course, they aren’t 100hat I wrote originally, but they’re close, and in this profession, that’s about all you can expect.   For those of you in Phoenix, track down an issue and check it out.  My out of state folks, head to http://944.com.  The content should be up in a few days.
So, the internship is flying by and my research is about ready to be conducted, so I’m really flying fast into being done with school.  Hallelujah, praise His name!  If you don’t already know, I’m really quite ready to be done with school.  The next fun project will be finding a job.  As much as I’d like to head out to New York City after I get done here, I’m really thinking that’s not the best step for me to take.  Sure, I could probably find a nice job in the media industry, but chances are it wouldn’t be enought to pay my bills out there.  If I’m going to have a low-paying entry job, I might as well do it in Arizona where the rent is free. Plus, I’d like to go out there with some serious savings and some experience so I can hopefully enter the workforce there in a more prestigious (not to mention higher paying) position.  I guess I can handle Arizona for 2 or 3 more years.  I like being around my friends and family again, and you can’t really beat our winters.  But don’t think I won’t be making a few jaunts to somewhere cooler in the summer.